The Green Knight
by AnimeDrummer
Summary: Society is falling apart and is in need of two heroes. One is a legend. The other, a legend in the making. Batman AU(somewhat DC universe?). Not the best summary, I know.
1. Darkest Before the Dawn

I've wanted to this for some time since realizing the similarities Deku and All Might have with two other heroes. This Izuku will be tech savvy, creating new trinkets to help his ambition and still manages to survive being bullied and what happened to him and his parents. And he'll have some extra time to harness OFA. I want Izuku to be seen as a mix of muscle and smarts.

There was once a time in the world where evil and corruption were the norm. Most villains were able to stand on even grounds with the best heroes. A lot of commutes end up getting halted nowadays, but it's still better than it was back then.

In a world filled with heroes and villains, one name stands out. The one hero who singlehandedly became a beacon of hope in these desperate times, All Might. One person who grew up fixated with these impressive heroes was considered to be All Might's biggest fan. Despite his age, he would observe and internalize all the fight scenes he watched on his own morning commute, hoping to one day be seen a real hero himself.

Years of notes he kept in a series of notebooks; info on all the local heroes and their powers, fight scenarios, and even costume designs. But there was a slight problem. In a world where superpowers are found everywhere, Izuku Midoriya was part of the world's minority without what people referred to as Quirks.

That didn't stop him, though. Not only did he always take top grade notes, he was insanely gifted. He enjoyed hanging out at the shop class before and after school. It motivated him to create small mechanical projects which could help take the big step in becoming a hero. No one really bothered him when he was focused.

"Okay, that should do it. I'll see if it works on the way home." said Izuku. He jotted a few things down in a notebook where he etched 'Hero Analysis No. 13'. As he headed out, he couldn't help but go back to what made him passionate about becoming a hero.

"13 notebooks over the course of 10 years. Has it really been that long? The cruel fate where everything came down." He could remember it well.

 _'It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!'_

 _'He's the greatest hero ever! And when I get my Quirk, I'll be as great as he is!'_

"That's when I was given the tough realization. I would be the only one without a Quirk. That's when the bullying started."

 _'Did you hear? Izuku doesn't have a Quirk.'_

 _'Can't be a hero without one.'_

"At the time, Dad had gone missing after a rogue villain sighting and Mom had spiraled downwards due to that and my shortcoming."

 **We have reason to believe that due to recent increases in local crimes, some casualties are confirmed, however of all the mysterious disappearances one question arises. Who was the would be hero? His fire breathing Quirk not only cut off the villain's escape route, but even protecting those on caught in the crossfire during the rampage including who we assume to be his wife and son. Even with the storm that followed, word on the fire breather or the villain's whereabouts from the incident remain unknown.**

 _'Whatever the problems people encounter, he's always there. And I will be there for people, and become a real hero, just like All Might. I know it's what Dad would have wanted, wherever he is.'_

Inko simply broke down. _'I'm really sorry, Izuku.'_

"Why couldn't you understand, Mom? I was traumatized about Dad, too. But that's not what I needed to hear. I've made my decision. I may not have a Quirk, but I'll find a way to get into the hero program. The same school he went to."

He tried to stand, but had a hard time of it. Izuku was the only one at Orudera Junior High to be tormented and bullied on a regular basis. Katsuki Bakugo hated him for his goals and persistence despite the fact he was the only one without a Quirk. Katsuki also wanted to go to the high school izuku was aiming for; U.A., the most prestigious hero course. And he was mad at the fact.

 _Stupid Deku! Do you really think someone like you can compete with me?_

 _I will get into U.A., Kacchan. Because I'm seriously going to be next great hero, not you!_

 _You're completely worthless! Someone like you won't ever amount to anything!_

"It still hurts, but I think I can walk." He headed for the same place where he tries out all of his creations from the school's shop class. It just happened to be the same spot Hisashi disappeared 10 years ago.

His new design, a glaring sphere. With it, he hoped to intensely blind villains with the sun's rays. It was bright underneath the shop class lights so he figured the sun can immobilize anyone. He lined his shot to the target, and the hidden propeller jutted out. The blinding light was as he figured.

"Great. Now to head back home. Still can't believe this is the place that caused Mom so much pain. Where'd you go, Dad?" 'If I had all this tech back then, maybe Dad would still be here. I wonder if I'll get to face that villain he fought. I know Dad want a pro hero, but he was strong. So I'll be strong for them.' He started walking easier so the torment must have been wearing off. Izuku made it back to his complex. His mom was simply standing there.

"Mom?"

"Izuku, you're back. Oh dear, you look like you got in another fight." Inko was aware that her son was constantly bullied for not being like everyone else. But she always felt like she couldn't be there for him after that night. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"For some reason, today wasn't that bad." The tech savvy teen just slumped around hoping to fully recover by tomorrow.

After turning in, he looked around his room filled with All Might memorabilia, thinking about how he'd become as great a hero. He knew that watching heroes in action gave him ideas for new mechanical trinkets, things he could use and still feel like a hero. What he didn't realize was tomorrow would be the day his heroics would have to be put to use.

You guessed it, All Might debuts next time. And maybe there'll be a few hero team ups. Here are a few questions. Should the sludge villain from episode 1 be the same villain Hisashi fought or can I come up with something new? Should Deku's utility belt be made of leather or metal? And how can this feel bit more like Gotham City since Deku is supposed to be 'the green knight'? The reason Hisashi and Inko aren't killed off is too many parents die in anime already. I already have the first few U.A. chapters somewhat thought out. And thanks for reading.


	2. A Hero Rises

Hopefully this chapter will get more readers. All Might debuts and Deku plunges into action for the first time.

Another rough morning was ahead for a lot of people. Izuku rushed to school hoping to catch the local heroes in action. He knew and had notes on the best ones from Backdraft to Present Mic. To his surprise, it was a situation big enough for four heroes.

Coming in from all sides, the first three were Kamui Woods, Ectoplasm and Backdraft. Just then from above, a kick off the side from a new face in town. She was able to go from normal to giant size with ease. She was known as Mount Lady.

"Mount Lady? I've gotta take note of this." Izuku goes to the next page in Hero Analysis no. 13.

"Let me guess. You're a big hero fan."

"I've taken notes on heroes for years wanting to be one myself."

"You know, it's unusual to see Ectoplasm in action around this time."

"Ha. I know, right? Mount Lady sure is enjoying herself."

As fun as it was for him taking notes on different heroes, he wanted to really feel what is was like, so he rushed to the school's shop class to see if he could get a head start on a new device he had blueprints for in an earlier notebook. Once again, the villain that he remembered from ten years ago creeped into his mind.

'If that guy shows up, will I be able to bring him in, or at least stop him from doing to others like what happened to Dad? I know I don't have a Quirk, but I feel like a hero in the making while making these trinkets.'

"Geez, class is starting soon. Guess I'll have to work on them a bit later. Maybe I'll spend lunch here if no one's using the room."

Izuku rushed to class. Nothing too exciting ever happened, and as per usual, Katsuki was the reason everyone bullied him. If anything, only a few teachers would attempt to lift his spirits after being battered and bruised, even the shop class teacher.

He noticed Izuku's mind was one interested in both machinery and heroics. At least he didn't let anyone else know of his metal trinkets or what he was planning on making next: a sash to carry his gadgets. Lunch rolled around and the shop class seemed empty. He decided to go in since he wanted to get home on time so he wouldn't be able to tinker at the end of the day. Even though he feared he might lose track of time, he timed everything to the letter.

His new 'static breakers' were ready. He carefully placed everything into the bag in seclusion. The only zipper he used most was the main one. He was careful to not reveal his mechanical marvels despite people knowing he was a total brainiac. After a bit more torment from Katsuki and retrieving his thirteenth notebook, Izuku, down and out as usual, decided to head home early.

Little did he realize, Izuku was about to be in the middle of another local villain situation. He figured this would be a great opportunity to try out his new devices. The villain appeared before him not even armed or looking to fight. Deku still stood his ground about to hold one of his creations. Just then…

"I am… here! Texas Smash!"

An incredible right jab with so much wind pressure behind it, the empowered villain was subdued as Izuku could only stand in amazement who it was before collapsing. The number one hero, All Might.

"Come on, kid. Tell me you're all right."

Again, Izuku was shocked. "It's really you. All Might! I'm only your biggest fan."

"I couldn't help but see the notebook that fell from your bag. It seems you been taking notes on different heroes. Thinking of becoming like us?"

"If only I could. You see, I don't have a Quirk. But that won't stop me from becoming a real hero."

Just then, All Might could see smoke which troubled him since it was coming from him.

'Shit…!'

"Which is why I wanted to meet you for some time. I've wanted to be as great a hero as you are."

In a puff of smoke, All Might came out looking completely different.

"Uh, All Might?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Whaaaa? What happened? You're supposed to be all muscles, you sure you're still you?"

"Yes, this is what I really look like. You know how some guys try to look buff at the pool and they try to retain themselves? For me, it's remotely similar." Izuku could only look in fear at All Might's internal injuries.

"A smile without fear, was it? I lost most of my respiratory system 5 years ago. I can only perform hero work for three hours a day unfortunately."

"5 years ago? Was it the fight against the Toxic Chainsaw?"

"Wow. You sure know your stuff. I barely survived that one. Only certain other heroes know the truth about what happened. So I'll tell you not to reveal any of this. The 'symbol of peace' with a fearless smile can't afford to lose against evil. So why? Why is it that someone without a Quirk is trying to become a hero?"

"10 years ago, I lost my dad when he saved a bunch of people. News reports said that he just vanished, I figured he didn't die because there wasn't a body to be found."

"Was he a pro? I'm sure I would have at least heard of him. What was his Quirk?"

"He wasn't a hero or anything, but his Quirk was that he could breathe fire. Years ago, I tried to see if I had his power or if I could pull small objects magnetically like my mom. Nothing worked. I'm sure that he would have wanted me to do this. I'm insanely smart too. Which is why I created a bunch of small machines to help catch evildoers, but I want to do more. I've been brutally tormented by every classmate I have just for not having a Quirk or wanting to go to U.A. High."

"U.A.?"

"That's where you went."

Just then, an explosion was heard a few blocks away. Both of them heard the announcement that would determine so much.

 **Nearby heroes on lookout, there's a hostage situation three blocks from the railway station. Suspect is said to be mostly some form of slime. Wanted for nearly ten years, this villain is extremely hostile.**

"Ten years, and some form of slime or… sludge. I have to go!" Izuku rushed for the crime scene.

"Kid, wait. Where's the fire?" The number one hero was surprised.

"All Might, that villain just now. It might be the one Dad fought before he went missing. This is my chance to get some answers."

"All right, but I'm coming too. I think I have just enough steam to help you out."

"That's great. This'll be like some hero team up."

"By the way, what kind of machines do you have in your bag?"

"Mist pellets, shock rocks, among other things."

With that, they both headed for the station. Once they arrived, All Might stayed low in an attempt to bulk up. At the same time, Izuku confronted his obstacle head on.

"All right, who should I… Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the sludge villain glared at Deku.

"I've waited ten years for this moment; I knew I would confront you one day." He sounded intimidating, but to no avail.

"Beat it, I'm busy."

A certain light haired bully couldn't help but look ahead. 'Deku? What the fuck is going on?'

"Ten years ago, you fought a man named Hisashi Midoriya. All the local news networks said he disappeared, now I want some answers! What really happened to him?"

All the hostages and a few gathering bystanders looked onward.

"Like I need to tell you, some idiot kid a damn thing."

"Tell me!" Everyone was impressed how well he stood his ground.

"All I know is there was a wild fire and I bolted out of there. That fire breathing bastard… Wait, you look a bit like him. Why is that?"

"If that's all you can say, fine." Izuku opened his bag and pulled out a few of his metal creations depending on his enemy's power and the natural surroundings. "Then I, his son, will be the hero who finally brings you in."

"Like hell!" An extensive jab came straight ahead and Deku just ran around and past it. After throwing a mist pellet, he rushed over to the civilians. All Might was already there.

"Everyone all right?"

A hostage walked up. "Yeah, kid. Thanks. You know, I knew your old man. I was down and out when he went missing."

"You too?"

"I knew he had a son, but he never mentioned you wanting to be a pro hero."

"It happened after he disappeared. Right around the time I became All Might's biggest fan. Now let's get everyone out of here. I don't think the mist will last much longer." 'Any time now, All Might...'

After rescuing the civilians after a messy start, he turned back around to the sludge villain.

"Hey! They're gone! Then I'll just take you instead!"

Another failed attempt to subdue Izuku. The young hopeful was moving in a way nothing could reach him. Forward and backward, left and right, no matter what way, Izuku wasn't going down. All those watching, whether bystander or hero trying to come to his aid were amazed. Except for one.

'Stupid Deku! Why am I even still here? If he dies, he deserves it for thinking he can hold a candle to me. That'll put an end to all his big talk for sure.'

Izuku reached into the bag again and found one of his throwing disks shaped like All Might's hair. After calculating the trajectory and angles, he throws the disk landing right on the villain delivering a mild shock. Only slightly able to move, he couldn't see what was coming next.

"Now I've had it, you're fucking toast!"

"Now, All Might!" the boy shouted. Everyone was amazed to see it really was All Might.

"No need to wait any longer, for I am here! Detroit Smash!" After slamming into the ground, the massive wind pressure created an up draft which caused it to slightly drizzle.

"Great work, young man. You faced your demons head on."

"The real credit should go to you, All Might. I didn't even use a Quirk or anything."

"Hey, All Might." A random hero walked up.

"Great seeing you out here."

"Whoa, no way. You're Cementoss." Izuku was amazed.

"Pleased to meet you. And you are?"

"Izuku Midoriya. I'm All Might's biggest fan."

"Always nice to meet a fellow fan of All Might."

"What, it's all over? Are you really All Might?" Another familiar face arrived.

"Why yes."

"I saw you this morning. You're Mount Lady." Deku stated.

"The pleasure's all mine, it's always so nice to meet a fan." She was rather charmed.

"Young Midoriya here is a fan of all heroes. He knows every hero there's ever been."

"We were watching your fight. Have you considered enrolling at U.A.?" the cement hero asked.

"Yeah, I've always wanted to go to U.A.!"

"You see, my pal Cementoss is a U.A. teacher." said All Might.

"I heard that U.A.'s teachers are made up of heroes."

"All Might, you do realize how much trouble you've caused by bringing a civilian into hero work." Cementoss said with concern.

"Don't worry, Cementoss, I'll take full responsibility for this little team up." All Might assured.

"Maybe we'll see you out there on the front lines again with us sometime." Mount Lady said gleefully.

 **Later…**

Izuku couldn't believe the day he had. Meeting a few heroes including All Might. Just then, he was dead in his tracks when he saw Katsuki.

"Deku…! You got some fucking nerve trying to pass yourself off as a hero without a Quirk!"

"Listen, Kacchan. I had my reasons." He simply glared ahead of him.

"Who cares about your stupid reasons? All I'm saying is I'm the one who deserves to become a hero, and you can get wrecked for all I care!" With that, he just walked off.

"Young Midoriya!" the number one hero was skin and bones again.

"All Might?"

"I had to wait till it was just us. I wanted to thank you for everything back there."

"It wasn't a big deal."

"That's where you're wrong. You showed heart and seeing how serious you are about saving people. So join me. Under my tutelage, you will become a great hero."

Izuku was at a loss for words. 'Everyone counted me out. Now the one person I wanted to be like is taking me under his wing?'

"I've come to see if you're hero enough to inherent my power."

Deku could only look in disbelief. "Inherit?"

Took me long enough. This one's finally finished. The next chapter will cover the preparations for U.A. field test. I know I'm probably asking this early but, should Deku's costume look slightly like Batman or maintain the image of All Might, or both? When I have time, I'll start on the next chapter. Later!


	3. The Sacred Torch

Okay, starting with this chapter, I'm going to end each one like the end of an episode of My Hero Academia. But if I should edit the earlier chapters the same way, tell me.

Izuku was rather dumbfounded. "What do you mean inherit?"

All Might simply looked on in amusement. "Ha. You look so priceless. Listen, this is an amazing opportunity. It's all a matter of how hard you bust your ass to use my awesome power."

"What are you trying to say?"

"It's my Quirk. A bunch of online bloggers and magazine writers assume my power is just enhanced strength and mobility. Even in talk show interviews, I always avoid talking about it by throwing a few zingers. Wouldn't do me any good if the symbol of peace wasn't your ordinary hero. For you see, this power was bestowed to me like a sacred torch and I've decided to pass the flame."

"Wait. This doesn't add up. It's understandable your Quirk is one everyone tries to figure out but can a Quirk really be passed off like this? I mean, Quirks are supposed to be unique to each individual. I haven't even begun to comprehend the…"

All Might was suddenly uneasy as Izuku kept rambling. "Uh, kid. Enough with that… nonsense!"

"Non…"

"You just have to adjust to the truth right in front of you. I can transfer my strength to someone else. And that's only one surprise this power has to offer. The name of my Quirk… is One For All."

"One… For… All?"

"Think of it like this; one person stores up this power and passes it to another, where it is stored and inherited again. It's like the hearts of all those who have had this resonate with the current user. It's because of this I'm able to aid those in need of a hero."

"But why would you give this to me?"

"The truth of the matter is I've been looking for a successor for some time. Then you came around. True, you have fancy gizmos to help you, but you were right when you said it wasn't enough. Then you rushed fearlessly to rescue all those people and take on a dangerous villain with no ill intent in heart when no one else could. What do you say?"

"I'll do it! And I know this stays secret, too."

"Not a shred of reluctance. Just as I figured. Then I'll let you know when we can begin, just give me at least until tomorrow to find a place nearby where no one will bother us."

 **Two days later - Dogobah Municipal Beach Park - Before sunrise**

Izuku had some rope around his arms while trying to pull a fridge. It just so happened that All Might was adding some extra weight.

"Hey, it's pretty cozy up here. You know, people move stuff like this all the time, even without super strength."

"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to be heavier?"

"Nah, I lost some weight, even in this form."

Izuku soon fell face first in the sand. "So why are we out here hauling trash across the beach?"

The symbol took a few shots of Izuku. "It's all to prepare you. The way you are now, you can't call yourself a successor."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Izuku was nearly an emotional mess.

"I'm talking about your physique. My Quirk, One For All is a lot to handle; it's practically a maelstrom of intense raw power. Without enough strength, your limbs could be shot clean off if you tried to even attempt to maintain it."

"Seriously?! So basically, this all some intense workout to get ready."

"You got it. But that's not all. I looked online and figured this should be the ideal place. This part of the beach was once quite serene. It's been a real mess over the years."

"Oh, right. Anything caught in the currents gets washed up here. My guess is people take advantage of illegal dumping because of it. That's why this spot is practically abandoned." Izuku looked around.

All Might then preceded to nearly flatten the fridge. "Things were much different before Quirks, now heroes are all about showing off and catching bad guys. Back then, it was all about volunteer work and helping the community. All simple acts of service." Just then, as the fridge was flattened, enough wind pressure blew away some of the scraps revealing a slight ocean view.

"Your objective will be to clear the coastline of the beach. That is your first step."

"All this? There's just so much of it."

"Young Midoriya, any reason you're interested in attending U.A.?"

"Well, it's the school you went to. So it must be a great experience."

"It was. But as I stated, heroics can be difficult without a Quirk. Just the harsh truth of the matter. U.A. is the most difficult and prestigious hero program. Many young hopefuls will be aiming for the top."

"And I have only less than a year to get ready. Exam day is February 26."

"No worries. I've got you covered with this. Behold! The Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan. This will ensure you're ready for U.A.'s entry exam and the beach gets cleaned up in time. I even worked up an intense workout routine for you."

Deku looked over each sheet. "Oh man, even my sleep is scheduled."

"If I'm being honest, this'll be very difficult. Think you can handle it?"

"I'll do what I have to." From there, Izuku was thrown into ten months of absolute hell. The trash cleanup was the first thing on his mind.

"Come on, Midoriya. Put your back into it! Go! Go! The clock's tickin' and time is short. Move those muscles, it's time to go beyond!"

As if going through regular classes was a regular hell itself, Izuku still had time in the shop class where he wasn't berated or judged. However, he hadn't been able to focus as much. He left dealing with random villains to All Might. Ever since the sludge incident, he never felt such a rush, such drive to be even greater than he felt then. He still had to process how he'd clean the beach ahead of time and how everything else would easily fall into place.

He had normal exercises, weight lifting, and a new diet, too. Even late night runs to keep his blood flowing. All Might added those in. Deku felt stronger, faster, more able, as the months went by. A few secret meetings with All Might at the beach for weight lifting or hauling off what remained of the trash. Then, one random day at the park, the number one hero was uneasy.

"You okay, you seem shaky. Don't go pushing yourself too hard. We can't have you burn out before you make the big leagues."

"It's okay, I know my limits. I never told you, did I? The day we met was filled with excitement. I fought a real villain, even though I didn't get information about Dad, I had a chance to feel like a real hero."

A hearty laugh later... "And you will be! So there's no reason for you to overexert yourself. Allow me to get you back on the right track!" A slight adjustment down the road and either of them couldn't believe what would become of this.

 **February 12 – two weeks before exams**

All Might was ready to check Izuku's progress when… he heard wailing screams and saw Izuku standing above everything he had hauled away. When he reached the stairs to the shore, he couldn't believe what had happened.

"Hey, holy shit. You even cleaned outside the coastline. Seriously? You certainly left no stone unturned. The beach is completely spotless! With two weeks left, and here you've gone far beyond the finish line. Oh my… Oh my… goodness!"

The young hopeful was about to collapse when…

"It's okay, I've got you."

"All Might? Did I do it?" Deku still was a bit groggy being up so early.

"I'll say. I expected a lot, but this is far beyond. Here, take a look at this."

"Uh, what am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Like you don't know. It's you, when this whole thing began. But now, this is truly a sign of progress. It may be a while before you take on my full strength, but it looks like it can be done."

Izuku couldn't help but tear up even more. "I can't help but feel, did I really earn this?"

'That's what you were worried about this whole time? That was all you.' "It's all right, well fix those leaky eyes of yours later. But for now, it's time." With a single hair in hand, he continued. "Someone told me this once. There's a difference between being lucky and deserving; one's an accident, the other a reward. Your valiant efforts earned you this gift. Just one last thing."

'What could it be?'

"Eat this."

'Come again?'

"To inherit my power, you need to eat a single strand of my hair. That's how it works."

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Come on, the exam's two weeks away. The sooner you learn to maintain your new power, the better. Eat. Eat. Eat!"

A/N: Should the next chapter start with Izuku breaking in One For All or just skip to the main event?

Next time

AM: You're finally ready for U.A.'s trials, Young Midoriya.

Deku: I sure feel ready. I know I'll ace the written portion, but on the physical part, I may have some trouble.

AM: Just relax and remember everything that you've went through to get this far.

Deku: Next time: The Moment of Truth

AM: Go forward, young man. And show you have what it takes to be a hero.

Deku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	4. The Moment of Truth

All right. Here's the next chapter. We start introducing more important roles this time around. I might have said this, but this won't be quite the way we remember it happening. Any questions about the story, just ask.

 **February 26**

Exactly two weeks had gone by since Izuku had inherited One For All. And after resuming his sessions with All Might, he felt more prepared for anything expected at U.A.'s exams. Countless applicants were gathering, and Izuku noticed Katsuki from a distance away.

"No doubt Kacchan would be here. But I can't get discouraged now." 'This is it. This is where I take my first steps toward becoming a hero.' Little did he realize, he unintentionally tripped over his own feet.

'Just forward.' Just then, he stopped.

"Hey, are you okay?" the nervous boy was in midair and slowly let down by the girl who reached for him.

"Let me guess. This is your Quirk."

"Yeah, I forgot to ask, but I thought it'd be bad if you fell. Isn't this way too, like, nerve wracking?

"I'll say." He tried not to shake.

"Well, might as well go in. Later."

'No… way. Did I really talk to a girl?' (Okay, this is something that's bugged me since I saw it. In episode/chapter 3, when he talked to Ochako for the first time, it says 'Didn't actually talk', that would imply stammering doesn't count as talking. Didn't actually talk, my ass. But please, let me know if I'm off about this.)

The written portion came and went. But the other half was going to be more intense. The second area looked like a seminar. There was only one person at the podium.

"Welcome! Everybody say hey! All right, listeners. I'm about to give you the low down on what's happening next. For those of you who are unaware, I am in fact, The Voice Hero: Present Mic! Today, we're gauging your abilities and mettle at our wondrous big city replicas spread throughout the campus. As you can see, you've all been given different designations for the next exam. This is so classmates can't work together. Also no targeting other applicants, only the villains we have in store.

Izuku was seated with a taller applicant with rectangular framed glasses. "Hey, it looks like were assigned to the same area. Maybe you can try and not look so timid? I mean this _is_ U.A., you know."

"Maybe I'll feel better once the exam starts." Deku replied.

"The robot villains scattered throughout the cities will be worth different point values from one to three depending on difficulty. Your objective is to rack up as many points as possible." (Sorry to interrupt again, but who else thought it was cool that the manga explanation of the mock battle used Mario and a few enemies from the Super Mario series? As a bit of a Mario fan, that was a real surprise.)

"Excuse me, a quick question? You mentioned only three types of villains, but there are clearly four. What is the fourth villain and why was it not brought up in the beginning?"

"Ah, yes. The fourth one is what we refer to as a gimmick or an obstacle you should try to avoid. It's not worth any points, so only focus on the main three. That being said, I'll leave you with this; a piece of our school motto. In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!"

The many young hopefuls were distributed among the different city grounds. All lay in wait for the moment to let loose. However, Izuku was less nervous, even though he still felt uneasy. He noticed the one from the seminar walking up to him.

"Oh, it's you again. Feeling better?"

"Better than I was when I saw everyone going in."

"Just try not to let everyone's thoughts rattle you. Most of them could probably sense your tension and might take advantage of it."

"Now you tell me. I was wondering why it felt like everyone thought they would have a easy break against me." He could feel the stares from the other as he quaked.

Present Mic appeared again. "There's no countdown in a real fight. Get in there and make a run for it! Your ten minutes starts now!"

"What the…?" Before he knew it, he was already in a mad dash looking for potential points. "This is bad. But I still have a chance. Now that I have One For All."

 _Did you finish the hair? Good then._

 _I don't feel different._

 _Of course not. Your body has to process the hair first. It should kick in after two, three hours at most._

 _My stomach's in knots..._

 _You became a proper vessel, but it was a bit rushed. Also, for the next two weeks before exam day, you'll be able to take this power for a few rounds. Meet me in a few hours at…_

 **A few hours later – the same day**

 _There you are. To prevent any extreme amounts of damage to you, I'd say wear these._

 _What are they?_

 _Arm braces developed by one of the heroes at U.A. after I told him about your situation. Don't worry, I didn't mention One For All or your training. These should reduce the damage done to your arms when using your immense power over time._

 _Okay, they're on. Now what?_

 _You'll need to wear those until exam day when testing the waters. Try to use as minimal an amount of that power as possible at first and try to get a good feel for it as you air punch or shadow box. One last thing, when using One For All, just clench your butt cheeks and shout out this one word with feeling: S—_

Right before him was a one pointer.

'Right, this is my chance to…' As he rushed to subdue, Izuku was thrown aside. As he tried to get back into it, he saw a light blue laser. Someone had easily dismantled the robot villain. Trying to get back into the swing of things, all the young hero could see were broken and smoking remains of the faux villains. Everyone around him was racking as many points as possible.

The more he ran, all his chances could only plummet more and more. "Damn it all. The first robot I see, I'm going to slam into it!"

"I say we have a good bunch this year."

"Information gathering, speed, a cool composure, and even combat prowess. Some use all of these in attempt to prove their worth."

"Nothing's certain yet. As of right now, the real test has begun."

Everyone in the city replicas could feel the ground shaking. It was the zero point faux villain; one in each facility.

 _The fourth one is what we refer to as a gimmick or an obstacle you should try to avoid._

The giant robot's palm struck the ground.

"In the heat of danger, a real hero's nature will be revealed."

"That thing's freaking huge! And it's coming this way…!" People just ran right past him as he only took one step back and fell backwards.

'Even if I could get away, there's hardly any targets left. I did say the first robot I saw, I'd punch its face in.' Then he looked around. Some applicants were stunned by fear, even one was stuck under debris from the quake. The one who stopped him when he tripped.

 _Yeah, I forgot to ask, but I thought it'd be bad if you fell._

"No way! No hero left behind! Not on my watch!" Izuku just ran ahead to confront the colossal terror. Everyone left could only watch and hope the worst didn't happen.

"There's no points given for that giant obstacle. But it does create… opportunity. A chance to shine."

Izuku's Quirk made his legs into high density springs as he shot up in the air. Everyone looked on in wonder, applicants and faculty.

"Rise to the top and show what you're made of."

Izuku felt his Quirk overtake his arm as it tore the sleeve of his tracksuit and revealing his arm brace as he shot up further while avoiding being swatted.

"So clench your butt cheeks and shout out this one word with feeling!"

 **Smash!**

With one devastating punch, Izuku lived up to his word and not only slammed the giant robot, but even knocked it back far enough that it fell backwards and exploded multiple times on the inside. The others on the ground, especially those in the range of the obstacle were completely at a loss for words at the smoking remains. The U.A. faculty and All Might only looked on with pride and cheer.

"That's it, kid. This is what you are. Embody the greatest quality of a hero! The nobility of self sacrifice!"

Next time

Tenya: What was that strength? You're telling me someone as nervous as you can be this strong?

Izuku: I wasn't trying to hide it.

Tenya: Still, you saved everyone while others could only run in fear. That definitely counts for something, even after all the damage you were dealt using your Quirk. Wait, is it possible? That he might actually…?

Izuku: What's that?

Tenya: Oh, uh, it's nothing.

Izuku: Next time: The Road Ahead

Tenya: It's possible… we might meet again… at U.A.

Izuku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	5. The Road Ahead

Okay, I know this seems like the actual story, but it will get better. I have some of my own scenes in later chapters. If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask. Brace yourselves, the next three to four chapters will be intense.

'This feeling… It was just like that time I fought the same villain from when Dad went missing. Things are different now. Instead of relying on gadgets, I finally have a Quirk.'

"Just one minute left!"

"Just one…?" Before he knew it, Izuku was free falling from where he met the giant robot head on. It took a few seconds, but he realized his limbs were shot as he broke down emotionally.

'Is it possible? That even though I inherited One For All, it was too much for me to handle? I mean this is only a strand, and I still look like a mess. I couldn't contain it, even after going through hell and back. There must be something I can do… Detroit Smash? Well, it's worth a try. Just have to time it. Even so, I'll still have no points after all this!'

As he continued falling, he was ready to once again risk everything. Just then…

*smack* Izuku found himself floating slightly above the ground. Something about it felt familiar.

"Release…" The chestnut haired girl pressed her fingertips bringing the debris she was lying on and Deku to ground level. But the pressure was too much for overusing her Quirk. (hint hint)

"It's that girl… that's why I was floating, this is the second time today… She seems okay, thankfully." 'Now, if I can get just one point…!'

"And that's it. Time up!" Before the announcement, Izuku had already collapsed. Other applicants gathered asking each other if he was okay and talking about his daring attempt.

"Hey, did you see this guy? He just took off and punched that obstacle. He must have some kind of augmented type Quirk."

"You know the strange part? He was so nervous since he got here. To think a bundle of nerves like him can possess a power like that."

"I don't think he was trying to fool anyone. There really wouldn't be any point in it."

"If he gets in, he earned it, that's for sure."

The spectacled applicant familiar with Izuku was taken by their words and the other boy's critical condition. 'They don't get it. Didn't any of them see what I did? He rushed ahead to save those who were in complete shock, including that girl who stopped his fall. He must've known the risks. Wait, or maybe he knew something I didn't about this test? Test… Is it possible?'

Just then, an old lady in a nurse's jacket walked up slowly to Izuku. "Great work, everyone. Let's see if there's anyone who's been hurt during this whole thing."

Some were thinking if she was a part of the test. Thinking that maybe she was a veteran herself.

"That mademoiselle may look like an old lady, but she's the backbone of the U.A. faculty."

She suddenly got a good look at the fallen one. "Dear me, it seems your body isn't used to your Quirk yet." *Chu!* Her lips stretched out to reach Izuku. Everyone wad surprised when Izuku started glowing. He was being healed.

"Like I said, she's the reason U.A. can have these harsh exams. The Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl. As you can see, her Quirk can heal anyone. It seems like our friend here is on his way to a speedy recovery."

"Let's see. Anyone else injured?" Recovery Girl looked around.

'It's possible… that there are parameters I didn't take into account. Then that means, just maybe…'

 **One week later**

Izuku was waiting patiently for the results. Even if that meant staring blankly at a fish between his chopsticks.

"Izuku? Izuku?" Inko seemed quite concerned as he recovered from his daze.

"Are you sure you're okay? You were staring at that fish for a while."

"It's fine, Mom. Just spaced for a moment."

'I still remember the time I told her about my new Quirk. I made sure not to reveal too much; just the fact I had one.'

 _I think it's time I told you why I've been doing all of this._

 _What is it?_

 _You may not be able to handle it, but it happened. I finally have a Quirk._

 _How can it be? You never showed any signs of..._

 _That's the strangest thing. It just happened. Now that I have one, I have a shot to make it big. I may not ever know what happened to Dad, but I need this._

 _I'm ecstatic, honey! What is it? Is like mine or...?_

 _Neither. It feels like an enhancement ability._

'Judging by my own estimate, I definitely aced the written test. A lot of good that'll do me since I ended up with a big goose egg in the physical portion.'

"Do you know when the results are supposed to arrive?"

"Either today or tomorrow."

'I didn't tell Mom about All Might or his secret. I just want him to continue being the Symbol of Peace for everyone. Besides, as his successor, I really can't say much. All Might. You saw something that I didn't. But still I feel like I couldn't live up to it. If only there was more I could do.'

The door suddenly sprung open. Inko was rather frantic. "Izuku! It's here! This letter! It really came!"

Minutes later, Izuku decided to open the results even though he felt like it wouldn't change anything.

"I am here as a projection!"

"All Might? But this is from U.A., right?"

"Please excuse my delay. All the paperwork I had really set me back. You see, there was another reason I came back to my alma mater. For I'm the newest U.A. teacher!"

"All Might's going to be teaching at U.A.?"

There was a random hand on screen. Seemed like someone was in the room with him.

"What's that? I wanted to tell him about— We're strapped for time? Uh... Okay. Even though you did exceptionally well on the written test, you still netted a zero in the practical test. Sorry."

'I know that. Its been bothering me for some time.' Deku couldn't contain his sadness.

"But there's more to it than that."

"What does he mean?"

"I'm both a hero and an entertainer. Turn your eyes to this screen here!"

 _Uh, excuse me? Anyone here?_

'It's the nice girl again.'

 _Present Mic, right? Just thought I'd ask something. You know that one person in the exam today with the freckles and messy, curly hair? Kind of plain looking?_

'Is she referring to me?'

"It seems she stopped by to talk about the test. What exactly? Let's find out now!"

 _I wanted to know how well he did in the practical test. I heard him say something after I stopped his fall about how he just wanted one point earned, so I wonder, can I see the playback? Maybe he got a few points without realizing it. Or at least let me offer him a few of mine. I heard from people who saw what happened that he saved a few people from the giant obstacle that were too scared to move. Even if I can't offer just one point, can I at least see his video?_

"Even though you acquired your Quirk recently, it's the heart of a hero that's beat over a lifetime that has brought those around you into action. This exam wasn't as black and white as everyone thought. Just keep watching!"

 _Even though came down to the studio with a request, you won't need to give up anything. Both of you did better than you thought from what I heard. Just take a look._

She saw how the zero point villain was knocked away and when she stopped his fall. She realized she saved him, she was simply returning the favor.

"How can a hero course like mine turn down heroes who lay it on the line to do the right thing? Call it lip service? Ha! Bring it, I say! This is what it is to be a real hero and risk everything putting that service to good use. Rescue points! A panel of judges gives extra points to examinees gives for more than just dealing with villains. In 7th place, Izuku Midoriya: 0 villain points and 60 rescue points! And in 3rd place, Ochako Uraraka: 28 villain points and 45 rescue points! You both pass."

Izuku was trembling. "This is… unreal!"

"We'll be waiting for you, Young Midoriya. For you are now part of the U.A. hero academia!"

The ever emotional Izuku couldn't help but tear up immensely. This had been what all those months of hell were for. To stand in the same halls of the best heroes in the world.

 **The following night**

Izuku had finally been contacted by All Might and was asked to meet at the beach. He rushed out to meet up with him.

"All Might!"

Blood spattered from his mouth in shock as he was still skin and bones. "Chill out, kid."

"All Might? Where is he?" A few people looked around.

He could only turn to the young boy hesitantly. "Repeat after me. I had the wrong person."

Izuku could only flail his arms up. "Oh, I had the wrong person!"

"Nice call. Hey, I'm really glad you got in. For the record, I wasn't one of the judges, I didn't pull any strings."

"That's okay. I was just surprised when you said you'd be a teacher at U.A."

"I didn't want to tell anyone before the board made the official announcement. Principal Nedzu just happened to offer me the position when I was looking for a successor."

"That explains quite a bit. Also, I think I have a very slight idea how to use One For All. The extra cardio and shadow boxing really helped. But I still shattered my body, even though I feel as though I can use the smallest amount possible."

"That why I had those arm braces in mind; they were to help make using that power somewhat less painful. I knew something like this might've happened. The trick to it is… it's all about the feeling! What did it feel like? The fullness of it all when you punched that obstacle?"

"Let's see, like a 'bzzt', a zap? I got it! Like an egg about to explode in a microwave!"

He seemed to find it rather humorous. "Simple yet unique. If that's it, then I can suggest you reduce the wattage, or lower the cook time. Anything to prevent the egg from blowing up. There's three weeks before school starts. Use this time to focus even more on that image. Right now, the output in your case is either 1 or 100. In time, your vessel will become more refined. And you'll be able to determine the energy output." All Might then picked up some cans on the ground, then inflated his muscles, crushing the cans. "Like so."

"I understand completely." Deku stood firm.

"No way, All Might!"

"When did he get here?"

"Now we run, Young Midoriya!" The number one hero started to sprint ahead.

"Uh… Okay!" Izuku was up and running himself.

'The fire I've bestowed is but a small flame. In time, it will become much more. And I will slowly fade away into retirement knowing my work is done.'

Next time

AM: It's your first day, young man. Feeling the pressure?

Izuku: Sort of. But I'll try my hardest on the Quirk assessment test.

AM: Careful. Aizawa can be pretty cutthroat if you don't do well enough. He even cuts out all those he sees unfit for this school.

Izuku: No way! Wait, he looks familiar. Next time: Zero Potential?

AM: Wait a minute. What's happening to your pointer finger?

Izuku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	6. Zero Potential?

Lets keep this story moving. Basically, the whole chapter will be the first day. But it will still be different. Some people will notice Izuku, and there's some bad blood between him and Katsuki which will go on into the later chapters as well. Okay, let the next chapter begin. I know I said this would be sort of a Batman AU, but I'm not sure if I can make Izuku a likable antihero without making him a complete jerk like Katsuki. The costume later on will be a cross between his and Batman's. Guess that's a start.

April had finally come which meant school was starting up again. Izuku prepared everything the night before so he wouldn't forget anything.

"Izuku, are you sure you have everything?"

"Yeah, I have to go, Mom."

"One last thing. I'm really happy for you, dear."

"I'll try to be back soon." With that, he was ready.

Izuku had finally arrived at the school. It was as big as he remembered.

"All right, Class 1-A. Ah, here it is." He just happened to hear two very familiar voices.

'Wait, aren't those…?'

"Sorry, let me try again. I'm Soumei Private Academy graduate, Tenya Iida."

"Soumei? You must already think you're better than me. It'll be great to crush an elitist like you."

"The nerve. And you're trying to become a hero?" Iida looked slightly off to the side and noticed… "It's you." It seemed everyone was surprised since they heard the rumor that he was the first one in years to ever face a zero point villain head on.

"Why, hello there. I'm very surprised to see you again." A blonde student walked up.

"I remember you. The guy with the laser Quirk from the mock battle."

"Why yes. Yuuga Aoyama."

"Good morning, I'm Tenya…" the familiar face walked up before interrupted.

"I heard you as I was walking in. Iida, was it? I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you."

"Midoriya…. You knew there was more to the exam, didn't you? Blinded by my own morals, I completely misjudged you. You truly are the better man."

"I really didn't expect to make it myself. I was as surprised as you are."

"Oh, before I forget, what were the arm braces for?"

"My Quirk can be painful to use so I wore them to reduce the damage and the pain, but a lot of good that did."

"Wait a minute. That messy head of hair can only mean…" Izuku turned. "And the freckles. You're that plain-looking one!" He noticed someone else he met that fateful day.

"It's you! The girl who stopped my fall." 'She looks nice in that outfit.'

"I'm really glad we're in the same class. Not surprised, though. Present Mic did say you did great! Who could blame him? That one punch was amazing!" she cheered.

"Guess I should thank you for talking to him."

"Wait, who told you about that?"

Katsuki stormed over and grabbed Deku violently slamming him into the sliding door, alarming at least half of the class. "You just had to show your stupid face, didn't you, Deku? Can't believe some scumbag like you actually got in without a Quirk! Miracle, my ass! I told you, I'm the only one from that garbage school good enough to be here!"

"Enough, Bakugo! Back away from Midoriya!" Tenya was furious.

"He does have a Quirk it seems. We've all seen it." Aoyama added.

'What Quirk could a fucking loser like Deku here possibly have?'

Tenya finally realized it. "Oh, right. You weren't there to see it. Everyone at our area said he has some kind of strength enhancement Quirk. How else could he easily punch out that giant obstacle?"

"If I recall, you got the top score with all villain points, and it was the opposite for him taking 7th with only rescue points." said Uraraka.

"If you had a Quirk this whole time, I should ruin you right now, you bastard!"

Izuku was more furious than Iida and just shouted at him as he vice gripped his wrist and moved away without losing his grip. "You listen to me, Kacchan! I was finally acknowledged by someone and finally felt like a could become a real hero, that's why I'm here! It doesn't matter whether or not I have a Quirk, I have more reason than you ever do for being here!" His eyes were widened by his fury. Some of the others backed away slowly possibly intimidated by them.

Bakugo wanted to slam Izuku into anything he could find, but before he could, another voice was heard.

"If this is what I have to work with, everyone's in for nasty surprise. This is the top hero course, not a place for your petty squabbles."

'What is this guy? All Might did say all our teachers would be pros, but he looks all worn out.'

"It took you all eight seconds to shut up. That's not going to cut it. Can't afford to waste any time." The mystery man continued as we emerged from the sleeping bag. "Oh, before I forget. Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa. Your new homeroom teacher. Now then, everyone slip into these and come out on to the track."

Meanwhile, All Might was going through some U.A. records when he noticed Aizawa's name.

"U.A. doesn't follow the usual curriculum. Just the wrong homeroom teacher, and you're in for a rough time. Hell, even."

The class were all outside, trying to comprehend what was about to happen.

"Quirk Assessment?" All twenty students were shocked.

"U.A. High isn't like any other school out there. We're more than capable of doing whatever it takes to prepare our students for the big leagues. You've been taking physical tests for years now, but weren't able to use your Quirks back then; that ends here and now. Bakugo, you placed first in the physical entry test. Do you remember your softball distance record?"

"I dunno. 67 meters at best?"

"Okay then, try using your Quirk this time. Anything goes. Just stay in the circle."

Katsuki walked into the circle holding the softball. "Right. Here goes." 'Add a touch of heat from my Quirk and it should be enough to intimidate the rest of 'em.' The pitch was rather 'explosive'.

"You'll have to bring the full capabilities of your Quirks to the surface. It's the only way to gauge your potential as a hero."

"Whoa. 705.2 meters? Intense."

"This looks exciting. Can't wait to try it."

"This is what it's all about. Using our Quirks as much as we want. Bring it!"

"Fair warning. It won't be all fun and games. Today, the 20 of you are in for 8 physical tests in which I'll see your potential for myself. Whoever places last, I'll decide whether or not they have potential at all. And if I see zero potential from last place, they're expelled immediately."

"Oh, crap. Shota Aizawa is 1-A's homeroom teacher. Young Midoriya doesn't stand a chance!" All Might saw the names that made up Class 1-A.

Meanwhile, Izuku couldn't believe the situation he was in. He knew he had very little control of One For All. All he could do was try not to wind up dead last.

'A major test on the first day… If I try to use it more than once, I'll end up breaking my bones again. How the hell am I going to get past this?'

Uraraka seemed outraged. "Someone could possibly be leaving the class? Even if it was the first day, it just seems unfair!"

"Power hungry villains, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents; this world is filled with unfairness. It's up to heroes to try and combat that unfairness. You all will have to push yourselves to the brink, and we'll all be trying to throw one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Show me you have what it takes to remain. Let's begin."

50 meter dash

One of the first two runners was Tenya. At the sound of the pistol, with his Quirk he was off like a shot. The other had the agility of a frog.

3.04 seconds

5.58 seconds

Darn it. Going 50 meters, I can only go up to 3rd gear?

'He's certainly fast. However, speed won't always cut it.'

Ochako was up next. Not too confident, she decided to lighten the load, so to speak using her Quirk on herself.

The pistol sounded again. She raced against the classmate with a tail and short blonde hair.

5.49 seconds

7.15 seconds

The chestnut haired girl seemed happy. 'Okay. That's better than my previous record.'

Aoyama was up against a girl whose hair could easily be compared to Izuku's messy hair.

"All good attempts, but not creative enough." At the pistol, his laser propelled him forward, but not all the way to the end. A second burst got him there.

5.51 seconds

"See, if I use my laser too long, I'd end up with a stomachache."

'They're not afraid to go all out with their Quirks. By trying to push their limits, they see what they're capable of or not.'

It wasn't long until Katsuki and Izuku walked up. The took off running, but the explosive power of Bakugo's Quirk sent him even faster.

4.13 seconds

7.02 seconds

Katsuki couldn't help but look over at his middle school target in mixed emotion.

'What the hell are you even doing here? You could never do anything right.'

Deku was trying to make sense of his predicament. 'Okay, think. You have this insane power, but you can only use it once for the time being. Wait. All Might said it's all about feeling. Just don't let the egg explode; that's all I have to do.'

With the grip strength test, standing long jump and repeated side steps, Izuku's focus wasn't enough. After Uraraka's impressive softball throw, he came to the realization that the softball throw was his only shot to use his Quirk at all.

'Everyone else is getting great scores due to their Quirks. All that's left is this, the long distance run, sit-ups, and the seated toe touch. This is my only chance to use One For All!'

Tenya was at a complete loss. "I don't understand it. Why hasn't Midoriya used his Quirk yet? If he has that much power… Could it be he's afraid to use it?"

"What are you giving me thinking he's too scared to use a Quirk he happens to have and didn't tell anyone about?" 'Rrr…! You better show this Quirk of yours, Deku.'

Izuku stood in the circle. Thoughts of Inko and All Might came through.

 _Under my tutelage, you will become a great hero._

 _I'm really happy for you, dear._

'I will become the strongest hero!' Just as the ball was about to fly, Aizawa's eyes glared red right at Izuku. The ball didn't go as far as he figured.

58 meters

"I don't get it. I was trying to use it."

"I nullified your uncontrollable power. Someone like you should not have been allowed to enroll."

"What are…? Those eyes…! I thought you looked familiar! You can cancel out an enemy's Quirk just by looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head."

'Eraser Head is one those heroes who stays out of the public eye and dislikes the media since he believes that they interfere with our work. Be careful, young man.' All Might was watching from afar.

"Seems my reputation precedes me. Not many people know about underground heroes. You remind me of another annoying hero. With overwhelming strength, he saved a thousand people overnight and became a legend. You can't even control your power. You have a similar drive, but it's completely pointless if your body breaks down after one swing. At this rate, you will be seen as having zero potential. You clearly don't have what it takes." Aizawa blinked and backed away slowly. "Go ahead and throw again. Just get it over with."

The others were thinking what happened between Deku and Aizawa.

"So, think he gave Midoriya some advice?" Tenya seemed intrigued.

"Guess we'll see." Uraraka worried.

"Doesn't matter either way. The useless ones always get thrown by the wayside." Bakugo sounded deadpan.

'What'll he do now? Go all out or do nothing and settle for last place like a failure?' Aizawa applied a few eyedrops.

'Now what? I have to try something. Maybe… That's it. If I throw it like that, the pain won't be overwhelming. It's worth a shot!' Izuku knew just how he could use One For All and not break more than just bones.

'Hey, is he for real?!' All Might couldn't believe it.

'If there's something I cant do, I'll just focus on what I _can_ do!' Without so much as a warning, Midoriya's finger started glowing from his Quirk and he just flung it as it looked like the ball was ignited. **Smash!**

Mostly everyone was taken by surprise by this thinking that if he had a Quirk like that he didn't use it earlier.

'It doesn't hurt as bad as I thought, but it still stings.'

'All that power coursing through one finger?' He saw 881.7 come up on screen.

Izuku had to fight through the pain. "Don't you get it, Mr. Aizawa? I'm in it to win it!"

"Not bad at all."

'I was worried about you, young man, but it seems you're doing fine. You knew you had to use One For All even just once, but not at full capacity. So you sent as much of it as you could into one point. Minimizing the damage to the body while maximizing the outcome! What the hell, Young Midoriya? You are totally cool!'

"No way! Over 800 meters!"

"All right, he finally used his Quirk!" cheered Ochako.

"But at a great cost. Look, his finger's swollen. Is this the reason he held back earlier?" Tenya added.

"Not as flashy as me, but still quite impressive." Aoyama seemed quite pleased.

'What the serious fuck? If he had a Quirk, he should have had it for years. Was he actually lying this whole time?!' In a fit of explosive rage, Katsuki charged toward Midoriya, much to the class' uncertainty.

"That tears it! Deku, you bastard! I want answers, even I have to fucking beat them out of you!"

Izuku was fed up with being bullied all the time. Before he even could process his actions, his arm started channeling One For All as he was just about ready to sucker punch his lights out. Just then, Eraser Head's eyes glared at Deku as his seemingly harmless scarf ensnared Bakugo. Seeing what happened, he was blindsided and instead of connecting the punch, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Iida rushed over to him. He seemed okay.

"I believe I said this a sacred ground for future heroes, not a place for petty, mindless bullying. Both of you need to get your priorities straight. And, Midoriya, I believe I made it clear, don't go breaking any bones or you won't do anyone any good. Besides, me using my Quirk like this isn't doing me any good either. It gives me serious dry eye."

Tenya got Izuku back on his feet. And with one blink, his eyes lost their glow and scarf retracted.

"We're wasting time. Whoever's next can step up."

"Since I'm already out here, I'll go next." Tenya headed for the circle after seeing that Izuku made it back okay.

"Hey, is your finger okay?" Uraraka inched closer.

"Guess so. Just stings a little."

Bakugo was still furious. 'I don't get it. What did he have to gain by lying? Far as I know, he's still worthless! And I will crush him no matter what!'

The remaining tests ended and Aizawa was about to reveal the results. "All right. Seeing as how going over the process is too time consuming, here's the results outright. I ranked everyone from 1st to 20th place. No point in going over each score individually, so here they are.

1 Momo Yaoyorozu

2 Shoto Todoroki

3 Katsuki Bakugo

4 Tenya Iida

5 Fumikage Tokoyami

6 Mezo Shoji

7 Mashirao Ojiro

8 Eijiro Kirishima

9 Mina Ashido

10 Ochako Uraraka

11 Koji Koda

12 Rikido Sato

13 Tsuyu Asui

14 Yuuga Aoyama

15 Hanta Sero

16 Denki Kaminari

17 Kyoka Jiro

18 Tooru Hagakure

19 Minoru Mineta

20 Izuku Midoriya

'This is it… I know I'm not…'

"Heh. No one's leaving today. I just wanted to see how well you'd do and even though I decided the fate of last place, it seems most of you did well. Here, Midoriya. Take this to the old lady. You'll need your full strength for tomorrow. Everyone's documents on the curriculum should be on your desks. Be sure to go over them."

'Starting at rock bottom. Figured as much. But I'm definitely willing to learn as much as I can.'

"Aizawa, you have a minute?" All Might asked.

"All Might? No interviews today." Shota responded.

"No, my first day of teaching is tomorrow. I'm actually out here to comment on that remark you made earlier. 'Deciding the fate of last place?' I saw your registry, and last year you kicked out an entire starting class. Why so tame this year, especially with Midoriya?"

"He didn't have zero potential. That's all I can say. If he had no talent at all, he would have been long gone before class ended. It's cruel to let a dream live when there is no chance of fulfilling it."

 **After school**

Izuku was still in a slump, not just because of the assessment, but the fact he was almost exhausted. "Can't believe how wiped out I am..." He felt something on his shoulder.

"Midoriya. How's the finger? Any better?"

"Ah, hey there, Iida. Yeah, it's better now, thanks to Recovery Girl."

 _Chu!_

 _Wow, my finger's better. Man, now I feel tired all of a sudden._

 _My Quirk stimulates your ability to heal, but healing takes energy. It's not my fault, that's just how the body works. Get too many big injuries, your stamina will be shot and you'll die instead of healing. So be careful._

 _You mean this could kill me?!_

'It's just all the more reason to learn to fully control my power.'

"You know, I wasn't too thrilled with Mr. Aizawa's methods, but I'll still trust the school's judgment. U.A. is the top program, after all."

"You know, Iida? I had you all wrong myself. You're really not as intimidating as you look; just simply devoted."

"Wait up. You headed for the station? I'll come too." A certain girl came up from behind.

"It's you."

"You're the infinity girl."

"I'm Ochako Uraraka. Let's see, you must be Tenya Iida, and you're Deku… Midoriya?"

"Deku?"

"Yeah, during the scuffle in the classroom and after the softball throw, I just assumed that was your name."

"Well, my name's really Izuku. Deku is a name Kacchan gave me growing up to belittle me."

"An insult? That's unsportsmanlike."

"Oh, I get it. Sorry. You know what? Deku just sounds like it has that can do spirit, so it really fits."

"Deku it is!"

"Seriously? Wasn't it originally an insult?" the high speed classmate was simply flabbergasted.

"Paradigm shift. This can't possibly get better!" He covered his face since he was laughing so much.

"Para-what?" Ochako questioned.

'Well, I survived the first day, even though I fell short. But these two are the first real friends I've had. That's gotta mean something, right, All Might?'

'You don't have time to relax, Midoriya. Not yet. The real test begins tomorrow.'

 **Next time**

Izuku: Looks like I'll still get the U.A. hero course experience.

Ochako: Say, Deku, how excited are you about our first real hero exercise?

Izuku: I just can't wait to see everyone's costumes for the first time.

Ochako: Seems like it's you and me against Bakugo and Iida.

Izuku: Man, I have to put up with Kacchan again? This won't end well. Next time: A Hero's First Step

Ochako: Are those bunny ears on your costume? So cute!

Izuku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	7. A Hero's First Step

All right, let's keep this story rolling. Also, I want to go over a few things that didn't seem right last time. First, and some people may have already noticed it, but 'the strongest hero' is clearly a reference to One Punch Man. Now, on the matter of Izuku's toss results. I simply took 705.3 x 0.5 which was 352.65 and rounded it to the nearest decimal. Then, halved 352.7 and rounded that to 176.4. Then added that to the canon result.

Also, as far as Deku's small gadgets, I'd like to hear what you'd like to see some of them be next chapter or maybe in the USJ Invasion. One last thing. This is the part where all the costumes are first shown. Now for my question to the readers. Who has the best costume in the class? With that out of the way, here we go.

Izuku had no problems getting up the next morning. Sure he had bandages wrapped around his finger and got nearly flattened by Katsuki twice, but he stood his ground and was excited for today. It was All Might's first day as a new teacher. Inko asked if his finger was healed and feared that he might come back in more bandages.

He remembered All Might mentioned a hero that he would be interested in meeting. All he had to was head for the Department of Support. He rushed over to where he heard a small explosion. After opening the door, he noticed another pro hero.

"Aren't you Power Loader?"

"That I am, and who might you be?"

"Izuku Midoriya of Class 1-A. All Might might've mentioned me personally?"

"Oh, yes, now that you mention it, he did say something about a plan looking applicant with a real knack for gadgetry. What brings you here, sonny?"

"I was hoping to spend a little time here before class starts. Maybe I can get some new ideas from any designs here."

"I see. There is one person who should definitely spark new ideas, if she can stop blowing the room up each time she builds something." He quickly turned.

A girl the same age as Izuku came down. "Say, who's this?"

"This is 'Young Midoriya', the one All Might mentioned. He had a hand in assisting All Might during a hostage situation last year. Seems he also creates devices, just smaller than yours."

"That's great. I'm Mei Hatsume. If there's something anyone needs for their costumes, I'm your girl."

"Well, I'm not looking for an upgrade, just thought I'd get some new ideas for these trinkets I've been working on for a long time. If possible, I would like to have them on me when suited up. That's why I keep them small."

"Mighty impressive. These look like mini smoke bombs."

"Mist pellets, I call them. And these are my newest works. There supposed to produce a flash bang that creates a fog like texture for a short time. I used them in that hostage situation."

"Pretty good… Oh, class might be starting."

"Geez, I better get going. Mind if I swing by later today or maybe tomorrow? You can tell me about your Quirk?"

"Sounds good, Midoriya."

With that, Izuku headed back to 1-A. The first half of the day was basic subjects, of course. When lunch rolled around, he told Uraraka and Iida about Mei and his ideas for some new small machines to aid him in his heroics.

The second half the awaited hero classes. Then, it happened. Class 1-A was in for a real surprise. Of course, Izuku already knew what would happen.

"I am here…! Coming through the door like a hero!" All Might barged in.

Everyone was ecstatic realizing the number one hero was now a U.A. teacher.

"Hello, everyone. I, All Might, am your basic hero training teacher. Here, you will be in many scenarios where you'll learn all you need to become proper heroes. So let's get started because your first lesson takes place on the battlefield! And furthermore, you'll need these. After sending in your Quirk registrations and requests, your new costumes are officially ready."

'Our costumes. I can't wait!' Deku had waited for this for so long.

"Everyone suit up and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"

"Sir!"

Minutes later, Class 1-A had arrived looking the part to a tee. All except for one who was last out of the gate. Deku reminisced how he got his costume ahead of time.

 _Maybe I should get in touch with All Might?_

 _Izuku?_

 _Guess not. In here, Mom._

 _Good, you're here. This is for you. Think of it as celebratory gift. I may have rushed it a bit._

 _What's with the jumpsuit? (Wonder if I can add or make something to keep my tools in.)_

 _I remember one day I was coming in and you'd already dozed off. I may have seen the costume designs in your notebook._

 _Seriously?_

 _I couldn't help but think back to when your dad went missing all those years ago. I might have said something that sounded like I gave up on both of you. But you kept going for it. You thrived this long despite the odds. Just remember, Izuku, you have my full support._

'Of course it's what I'll wear. It's not state-of-the-art, but it still means something to me. This is my original costume.' Izuku rushed out, and with that, everyone was accounted for.

"Deku?"

"Uraraka… So this is your costume."

"Well, yours looks pretty good. Kind of down to earth. If only I was more specific; my bodysuit is like a puffy marshmallow. It's a little embarrassing." (Yeah, I went with the version from the manga.)

Iida walked up. "Midoriya?"

"That voice. Is that you, Iida? It looks like you're wearing real armor! I say your costume's the coolest one in the class."

"It seems your costume isn't like everyone else's. It seems as if it's lacking something."

"You're right. My costume didn't come from the clothing company like the others. It was a rushed job, but this jumpsuit means a lot that it was made for me." Izuku brought Tenya and Ochako closer. "This is just between us. I'm sure you understand."

"We understand."

All Might approached the three close classmates as he spotted the similarities between him and Izuku's jumpsuit. 'Same hair, same smile?' He really tried not to laugh. 'So obvious...'

"So these are the costumes of the next great heroes. You all look so cool! Ready to get started?"

"All Might. Seeing where we are, will this be similar to the mock battle from earlier?" Tenya intervened.

"Ah, you would think that, but this time, we're kicking things up a notch. As you know, most hero and villain confrontations are in the public eye. However, the most devious acts are committed indoors. That's the idea for today. The twenty of you here will be paired into ten duos. There will be a powerful weapon the villains will try to protect, and the heroes will try to retrieve it. Granted, there will be a time limit. If the heroes round of the villains or simply touch the weapon, they win. But if the villains can subdue the heroes or protect the weapon within the allotted time, then they win. We'll be drawing lots to determine the pairs."

"Isn't there a better way?"

"Think of it like this, Iida. Heroes from different agencies often team up without knowing much about each other, so we may be doing something remotely similar."

"Ah, yes. That makes sense. Thank you, Midoriya."

"That being said, let's begin!"

A) Uraraka/Midoriya

B) Shoji/Todoroki

C) Mineta/Yaoyorozu

D) Bakugo/Iida

E) Ashido/Aoyama

F) Koda/Sato

G) Kaminari/Jiro

H) Tokoyami/Asui

I) Ojiro/Hagakure

J) Sero/Kirishima

"What are the chances? Looks like it's you and me." cheered Uraraka.

"This is great!" said Izuku. 'Okay, I've seen what her Quirk can do. I'm confident we can pull off the win!'

"I declare the first ones up will be…" And the letters were revealed. "These guys! Heroes, Team A; villains, Team D. All right, Team D can head for the first building. Team A will be given five minutes to prepare. After that, the heroes will be let loose and the match will ensue. Everyone else can head for the monitor room to watch."

Katsuki and Tenya headed for the building while Izuku and Ochako remained and the others headed off. A feeling of intensity filled the air. Deku knew this feeling.

"Young Iida, Young Bakugo. For this exercise, you must embrace villainy. Think from the mind of an evildoer. If things get to far, I'll step in. Your five minutes start now!"

Once inside, Iida realized they were already on the top floor. "Even if this is a simulation, it rather irks me to be aligned with villainy. So, this is what were guarding, huh?" *knock knock* "Papier mache, I expect." (Quick a/n. Okay, I'm calling serious bullshit. I watched the anime, and when Iida knocked on it, it sounded almost metal. Just saying.)

"Hey. Did you anything know about Deku's Quirk?"

"When I first saw him, I didn't know what to make of him. His Quirk certainly explains the strength he produces with it, but I'm surprised it hurts his body if overused."

'I can't believe he kept this from me! I'll fucking roast him for this!"

 **Back on the ground floor**

"Do they really expect us to memorize the whole floor plan?" Ochako asked.

"I already did." Izuku tried to sound modest.

"That's incredible!"

"It's nothing, really. I'm used to analyzing numerous hero fighting stages, so an indoor situation will be a nice change of pace. Can't believe were up against Iida and Kacchan right off the bat."

"Oh, right. Bakugo's your childhood bully, right?"

"He was the reason I was bullied by just about everyone. He knew what his Quirk was from the beginning. Me? Call me a late bloomer. I grew up not knowing what mine would be. I wanted to become a hero my own way, so spent a lot of time creating tiny machines to aid in crime fighting. That's why I was almost late for homeroom this morning, I spent some time in the tech ward hoping to get inspired. As for Iida, well, you and him were the first people I met that day. I'm just nervous about fighting a new friend."

"It's understandable. If you ask me, Iida sees in you a hero that no one else does, and doesn't want to see you let him down. So you owe it to both of us to give it your all today. Can you do it?"

"I can. Like All Might told me, 'It's time to go beyond.'"

"All Might really is as great as they say, isn't he?"

"I'll say. I've been his biggest fan for a long time."

"Really? So you must know a lot about him."

"All right! Team A, your twenty minutes starts now!" 'Take this to heart, Midoriya. From here out, I grade you just as any other student, without playing favorites.'

They head inside, nothing surprising. They simply walked for a bit looking for some stairs. Just then, Izuku's mind began processing multiple thoughts.

'I still can't control One For All; if I used it, I'd seriously hurt someone, especially Kacchan. If possible, I'll rely only on Uraraka's Zero Gravity and my utilities.'

"Can't hear a thing. Isn't there are way to hear them?" asked Ojiro.

"Both teams have earpieces to communicate with one another. We can also hear them, but the only one of us they can hear is me." said All Might. (Another quick a/n. I know All Might was the only one who could originally hear everyone, but for what I have in store, it'd be better if everyone could hear this.)

"So basically, the heroes have no idea where the villains or the weapon are and there's only a twenty minute time limit?" asked Tokoyami.

"Time limit aside, it seems to me the heroes are at a big disadvantage." Ashido seemed concerned.

"The greatest heroes are ones who can outwit any situation, even if the odds aren't in their favor. I'm sure Mr. Aizawa informed you all about how a real hero faces many obstacles head on. So it's time to see if you can go beyond." The number one hero encouraged his class.

"I remember the floor plan. The stairs should be right here."

"Nice one."

Without warning, Katsuki made his move. Off the corner of his eye, he saw the ambush coming and grabbed Ochako.

"You all right?"

"I'll be okay. Get ready, we're not alone."

"Deku, we finally settle things here and now. I'll make you pay for lying after all this time."

'Why would Bakugo think Deku was lying about something?' Ochako thought.

"Ambush? Not very manly!" shouted Kirishima.

"But it's as if Midoriya saw him coming and saved his partner. Tres bien!" said Aoyama.

"Bakugo looks really angry…" Jiro noticed.

"I won't do too much damage that this fight ends, but I'll get damn close!"

His punch was halted. Deku's left hand blocked and gripped the arm as his right arm set him up for a big fall. His leg swept underneath Katsuki as Izuku flipped him onto the ground. (Just think about what Annie did to Eren, and then Eren did to Jean that one time on Attack on Titan.)

"I was waiting for you to do that. You usually start out recklessly with a huge right swing. Of all the people whose Quirks I've analyzed, I paid the closest attention to you. Thirteen notebooks later, it's all going to pay off! So what if you think I'm useless? That doesn't matter to me now. The way I am now, nothing will get me down. Kacchan, after this… I won't stand for you bullying me ever again! Here one out, when people hear the name 'Deku', they'll know I can do anything!"

Ochako remembered the other day. She couldn't help but feel like she caused this to happen.

"Deku…!" Bakugo was seething with rage. "First, you lied about not having a Quirk, now you suddenly think you're better than me. Now you'll see why..." He charged in hoping to cause more damage. "…I've always hated you!" As Midoriya blocked again, he called out to Uraraka.

"I'll stay here. Get going and find Iida." Uraraka got the message seeing as how Katsuki didn't care. She headed up the nearby stairs.

"Some balls you've got blocking again." 'He's using the tape he got from All Might?'

'If I'm right, he'll get impatient. When he goes for another hook, I'll drop this smoke bomb and get some distance.' The explosion covered the camera screens as well as the smoke dropped by Izuku. 'I was right! Time to move!' And he went off in a mad sprint.

"The guy's amazing, he dodged again!" cheered Ashido.

"Midoriya's holding his own against Bakugo and he hasn't used his Quirk." Sero was really surprised.

"Gotta admit, that little guy's really something else. But where did he go?" Sato added.

"My guess is he buying himself time because he has a plan. If he said he knew about Bakugo's Quirk from the start, he must have a way to counter it." said Todoroki.

'Not surprised. He's always maintained a hero's composure in crisis situations. Thirteen notebooks worth of Quirks of various heroes, combat scenarios and costume designs, all of it is a part of him now.'

The smoke cleared. Bakugo looked around and faintly heard footsteps heading down the hall.

"Bakugo, what happened down there?" Iida tried reaching out to Katsuki.

"Just shut up! Deku is mine!"

"Ugh, what's with him? We're supposed to be partners! Argh!"

Katsuki ran down the hall. After looking around, he blew up again. "You must have gotten a real good laugh tricking everyone this long! Dammit, Deku, why don't you use that flashy Quirk of yours and see how it compares to mine!? It won't matter since you'll never beat me!"

"Man, he's so mad it's almost scary." Kirishima seemed a bit nervous.

"I'm more scared for Midoriya rather than worried about how scary Bakugo is." Mineta shook.

'Midoriya told me that Young Bakugo has always been overconfident and overzealous. But this, this could lead to an imminent downfall.'

"Okay, this should be far enough. Oh, I see a staircase." 'But wait.' "Uraraka, where are you?"

"Deku. I'm just below the top floor and still haven't found Iida."

"Okay, let me know when you get there."

"How are you holding up against Bakugo?"

"I know what to do about that. Just hold tight."

"Thanks, Deku."

'If I take the staircase now, there's no doubt Kacchan will follow me. If Uraraka stayed down here, chances are we would run out of time. This is the only way I can prevent this from being a two on two. After I'm done here, I'll rush up to assist Uraraka. But for now, maybe this'll help.'

A few of the other classmates noticed he was holding another device.

"Hey, what do think Midoriya's holding?" Kaminari wondered.

"I've heard he's quite the creator. Just small machines that aid him in becoming a hero in addition to his Quirk." answered All Might.

"So he's a total brainiac and an expert in taking notes?" asked Sero.

The dish was planted in the wall. "This device that I developed will allow me to hear footsteps from a certain range. If Kacchan takes the turn here, I'll hear him coming. All I can do now… is wait."

Next time

Ochako: Looks like Iida was on the top floor. Hey, Deku?

Izuku: Something wrong?

Ochako: There's something bothering me. Bakugo was saying something about lying for so long. I don't really get it.

Izuku: I didn't tell him I had a Quirk. Now, he thinks I've lied to everyone this whole time about not having one at all. If I remember the floor plans, there are windows all around the top floor.

Ochako: You've got a plan, don't you?

Izuku: Don't give Iida a chance to think! As soon as I'm done with Kacchan, I'll be right there. Next time: Not All Men Are Created Equal.

Ochako: You've got this, Deku.

Izuku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	8. Not All Men Are Created Equal

I'm really surprised no one's commented for four chapters, but the follows and favorites keep rolling in. You can still tell me who you think has the best costume in Class 1-A or what mechanical surprises Izuku should have on him later on. This is another good point in which I switch things up. I'm guessing you'll be as drawn in, fearful, shocked and amazed as the class will be at the end of the chapter. Okay, let's continue.

Ochako had reached the top floor. After constantly searching the floors prior, she couldn't stop now.

'There he is.' "What's he saying?" she decided to listen in while not realizing she was still walking towards him.

"I fear for what might happen to Midoriya, but I can't let that get in the way of this. Bakugo really has a lot of tenacity, too much that he might not be taken as seriously as other heroes like me or Midoriya. Okay, this might tarnish the Iida name, but I should try to sound villainous if possible." Just then... "You found me, Uraraka. Nicely done."

"Iida… I couldn't help but overhear."

"Quite all right, hero. I just thought I'd let you know I have the clear advantage. I know your Quirk can make anything you come in contact with float, so I planned ahead. Just look around, there's nothing for you to float!"

"Hey, Deku. I found Iida." Ochako sounded nervous.

"Great."

"Yeah, not so much. There's nothing for me to float up here."

"That's not good."

"What about you? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Kacchan hasn't come around the corner yet. I'm worried; if he doesn't show up, I can't beat him, and if I don't beat him, we can't team up against Iida. You might have to improvise. Just stall him."

"Okay, Iida. Deku got held up, but he'll be here."

"As much as I disapprove of Bakugo targeting Midoriya out of out spiteful rage, I still have an objective. So bring it!"

Katsuki was still seething. He was determined to exact vengeance. "Who the fuck does Deku think he is anyway? He's just a hopeless, wannabe loser, and I will smash into the dirt. What's that sound?" He saw a blinking light just up ahead. 'He's still toying with me…'

"Footsteps? It must be…" He retrieved the tracker from the wall. And it was. "Heh. Took you long enough to get here."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't be this dense. I lured you out here. This is where we finally settle things."

"Does this mean you're done underestimating me? Cuz I wanna see what you and your Quirk are really made of."

"Looks like you'll have to wait. Quirk or not, you can't beat me."

"Speaking of Quirks, I assume you know all there is to know about mine. My sweat contains nitroglycerin that I can spark with my hands. What do you think I can do if I had more than enough?"

"I can think of a few things. The one thing that keeps jumping out at me is… unleashing all of it at once?!"

"These gauntlets aren't just for show. I've been storing this much up for one monster blast!"

'He can't be that reckless.' "Young Bakugo! Are you trying to kill him?!" shouted the number one hero.

"It'll be fine if it doesn't hit him!" Just then, a powerful burst of fire went right for Izuku as he swept to the side. The building shook from the explosion and Ochako and Tenya above felt the aftershock.

"This is crazy!"

"Are you all right? Come in, Young Midoriya!"

Izuku shook off the debris as he stood. "Is that even allowed?" He noticed his mask was completely blown off and his left sleeve was gone.

"Ha. Come on, I dare you to use your Quirk. Even with it, you can't win!"

Frustrated, Iida was about to go off on Bakugo. "What was that, Bakugo? If you caused that explosion…"

'Now's my chance!' Uraraka made a mad dash for Tenya.

"At last! Bring it, Uraraka." What he didn't realize was she used her Quirk to gain a bit of altitude. "Wait, she can make herself float?"

"Release!" She slowly descended toward the target, but Iida was too fast. She couldn't steer in midair and crashed.

"Formidable, yes, but futile, Uraraka. All I need to do is use my speed to keep you in check until the clock runs out."

'Ugh, now what? Maybe Deku can be of some help.' "Deku…? You okay down there?"

"Yes and no. Kacchan nearly blew me up with his Quirk, and now there's a gaping hole on the side of the building… Wait, that's it!"

"You have something?"

"When it's stuffy, you open a window. There should be windows across the walls of the top floor. Uraraka, open all the windows. Keep moving and don't give him a chance to think."

"Okay. Just hurry, Deku." The chestnut haired nice girl made another run for it in an attempt to baffle her speedy friend.

"All Might, sir, isn't this a bit much? Bakugo is clearly out of his mind. I don't think Midoriya can survive this."

"I'm not too sure… Despite his tenacity, he seems rather tame. I'd say he intentionally missed. Still, can't be too safe. Young Bakugo, using the stored energy a second time will lead to disastrous results. Firing off an attack that powerful indoors is simply asking for the destruction of the stronghold you're protecting; a poor move whether you're a hero or villain."

Just as Izuku was finishing up with his teammate, the ash blonde made the next move. "Well, all right… Let's settle it the old fashioned way!" Charging in, he didn't realize Izuku stood his ground in anticipation. He blocked his movement and managed to slightly counter. In Deku's mind, the situation was similar to a showdown in the Octagon. Deku slammed Katsuki with a flurry of punches, but the wild child wasn't having it. After one straight hook, Katsuki leaped using his Quirk for a burst of elevation and spun around trying to spark from behind, but Izuku saw it coming and spun out of range and stunned the opposition with his new 'shock rocks'.

"Very impressive. One doesn't seem to have a strategy while the other clearly does." said Todoroki.

"What do you mean?" Ojiro asked.

"Bakugo's movements seem to have been a reflection of how well he's able to use his Quirk as well as raw instinct. As for Midoriya, his actions are more from an intellectual standpoint as he was able to avoid the highly aggressive Bakugo and even leave him immobile for a few seconds. Impressive for someone who's lasted without using his Quirk." Yaoyorozu clarified.

"His dodge game is top notch, I'll give him that." Sero seemed amazed.

"Man, both of these guys are insane for going all out this long, it makes me sick." Kaminari shrugged.

"How's this for a hard right?" Bakugo swung in and slammed into the left side of Izuku's ribcage. (Has anyone ever had something hard nail them in the ribs? It hurts. Believe me, I know.) Izuku had the wind knocked out of him for a bit, but tried to recover. A few more hard hits were felt and he felt like he could collapse.

"Face it, Deku. There's just one word for scum like you!" He pounced and slammed his left fist in Deku's eye. "Pathetic!" Everyone could see the pain he was in as Deku landed on the ground and with a real shiner, too.

'Damn…! Why can't I move? Seeing as how there's no choice, I might have to use it…'

"Why? Why does Midoriya have to suffer like this? I bet he didn't do anything to him!" Mina seemed shaken up by Izuku's situation.

"This truly a showdown between a hero and a villain." the frog girl shuddered.

"Think he can still win?" the tailed fighter asked.

"I don't know. He might have to use his Quirk just to survive. He sure was hot stuff at he start, I'll say that much." the electric student added.

'I should end this... But I'll let it go on. For his sake.'

"Wait, why's he backing up?" asked Jiro.

"I'm guessing he has a last resort. Wouldn't be very manly if he just ran off." Kirishima looked at the monitor interested in what would occur.

"I can't believe you're still not getting the fucking message. You still think you're better than me, even after all this time! You're in no position to look down on me, you bastard!"

"That's what you think? Shows what you know. You've always been better than the rest of us. But this... The way you're taking all this, the grief you've given me over the years, thinking you're better than everyone else, that's not the things a real hero would do! I'm officially fed up with your shit, Kacchan! You've got a long way to go before you can pass for a hero and people will still you as a villain! Now that I know what my Quirk is, I can be just as great as you, no, even better!"

"You're too weak to be a hero. This time, stay down, loser!" Everyone knew the fight was going into the final heat. Moves were blocked, some landed and neither gave an inch. "Someone like you... should never… have been allowed to enroll here!"

Something in Izuku… just snapped. His fellow classmates were simply appalled by the uncalled for remarks. Some looked in fear and even terror seeing the unimaginable fury in Deku's eyes. Katsuki's arm couldn't move, but before he could say anything, Izuku's fist smashed into his face as he said in boiling rage… (Think of this as some anime scenes. The winning punch is usually seen from two to three different angles.)

…

…

"FUCK YOU!"

Everyone watching stood surprisingly still, yet mouth agape, except All Might. They couldn't believe what they saw. The plain looking guy with messy, curly hair just punched out the top examinee who happened to be his old bully, and he didn't even use his Quirk! Katsuki was completely knocked out after tumbling on the ground. Izuku tried to stand as he slightly turned.

"Face facts, Kacchan. You're not number one anymore." That was all he could bring himself to say as he limped his way up the stairs to face his new friends.

All Might could only look in dismay as his successor looked like he was pushing himself past the breaking point. 'Young Midoriya...'

Next time

Izuku: I did it. Now that Kacchan can't bother us up here, it's two on one.

Tenya: Midoriya, you're a mess! And you have a black eye! What did Bakugo do to you?

Izuku: Doesn't matter, Iida. Get ready because I've come too far to lose now.

Tenya: Ha ha! Looks like you'll have be facing a more villainous side of the Iida you know, Midoriya!

Izuku: Wow, how very convincing! Next time: Speed vs Power

Tenya: Hold on. I didn't know Uraraka was a baseball player.

Izuku: Go beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	9. Speed vs Power

Took me long enough, but I'm glad people are enjoying this. About the surprises in Deku's 'utility belt', let's just say your thoughts will come in handy during the raid at USJ, so please leave any thoughts or anything you'd like to see Izuku use. I'm already brainstorming Sports Day and Gran Torino. But more on that later; let's resume. It's Izuku and Ochako vs Tenya! If things don't make a lot of sense here, call it anime logic.

Also, a shout out to a guest who recently commented, thanks for your words. I will certainly try to spend some time expanding this alternate world. Which means I'll need to also do the class rep chapter, but differently. In fact, the rest of the first season will be slightly different and more exciting. I'll be sure to put an honest effort in these next few chapters. Also, sorry if this one is shorter than usual, I'll make it up to everyone with an extra long chapter next time.

Izuku traversed up to the top floor having mixed emotions. He was uneasy about going through the ringer, he was certain he had gained a little recognition from the class without realizing how much more he'd get, felt confident after he stood up to Katsuki, and was happy to have real friends for the first time. Sure, he finally had a Quirk, but he would feel excruciating pain if he used too much of it.

He stepped off the final step and arrived at the area where he spotted his friends. Deku felt like there wasn't much time left, so he briskly walked up.

"I made it… just like I said I would. Uraraka, how are you holding up?"

The nice girl's eyes widened in dismay. "Deku. You look awful."

"She's right, you're a mess." Iida noticed his friend's shiner. "A black eye…?" Izuku, Ochako, or anyone watching ever heard him sound so angry. "What did that no good, ill mannered miscreant do to you?"

"There's no time to stop and just chat about it. We're still on the clock." Izuku knew they were scrapped for time.

The others watching and listening were in amazement that Izuku looked as beat up as he did and could still find the spirit to keep fighting the good fight. Some were even inspired by his bravery. Others were deeply concerned about his condition. And others tried to figure out what would happen next and if Midoriya would have enough time to even use his Quirk.

"This is it!" Izuku charged ahead knowing not to cause too much more damage. Tenya was more than ready to counter. A slight move to the side was enough to avoid. Iida was perplexed, yet at the same time conflicted about what he should do next.

'Impressive. He sustained so much damage that he still has it in him to keep going. I don't want to hurt him or go too far, but if I don't do anything, it might disappoint Midoriya. Not to mention, All Might and the rest of the class are watching this live. Then there's Uraraka; I pretty much have her in check. For the sake of the exercise, I have to stay a villain…'

"Midoriya! Why would you go this far? You're clearly in no condition. Give up while you can!"

"Why you ask? I spent all these years being put through endless hell. So many people said I didn't stand a chance. When I met you that day, Iida, you were one of the few people to acknowledge me not even knowing what my Quirk was. I won't go easy for I see you have the same eyes as me; the eyes of a real hero. I don't know how much time is left, but if I go down, I'll do it swinging."

With that, Deku ran up again getting the feeling in his legs back. All Ochako could do was hope her new friend had something up what was left of his sleeve. Izuku's strength, Tenya's speed, both sides went in. The armored hero even resorted to using the next level of his speed. Going in a Spirograph pattern, he dished out small hits attempting to slow down the successor in hopes he understands the pain he must be in.

While getting hit so many times, Izuku discovered the pattern and was able to throw him off balance. After dishing a few hits, the pattern became sporadic, until…

"Got you…!" A jumping kick from Deku completely caught Tenya off guard knocking him further off balance to the point of almost falling over. (Think of it similarly to the kick Naruto landed on Kiba in the one scene from episode 46. Not the barrage with the Shadow Clones, when he tricked Kiba by transforming into him and then becoming Akamaru after he got hit.)

"No way!"

"What's that little man made of?"

"He might actually do it!"

More shouts filled the room as the amazement rose. They knew he couldn't hear them, but they shouted anyway. Uraraka stood still with great concern. Deku was battered, bruised and blood stained. Yet he was still going.

"Not bad, for a hero on his last legs."

"You're right, Iida, this can't continue. I've already thought of a way to win this."

Back on the ground level, Katsuki struggled to balance after taking such a hit. Even a few eyes glanced away from the main event. As he tried to remember what happened, he wandered around trying to think where everyone was.

'There's still time otherwise All Might would've said something. Deku must be… Wait! That's what happened. That no good fucker decked me!' "That means he must be about to finish things himself."

He tried to make his way over, but still felt slightly out of it.

All Might could only look on in concern. He knew full well of the bad blood between Katsuki and Izuku. He tried to go back and forth between the two.

"You're too banged up to go on like this." said Tenya.

"I know. That's why it's over right now." Deku knew the risks, but didn't care. "Uraraka, grab that pillar and hold on tight! Your Quirk is going to come in handy after all."

Ochako felt unsure at first. "Got it!" She held on, but waited for the right moment to use her Quirk. Iida charged again. Izuku used just enough power to lightly coat his soles. He was smarter than he was when he tried to jump using One For All the first time. This time, he had a better handle; not great, but still slightly progressed.

His remaining sleeve was tearing as his arm started to glow. 'I wanna make this move similar to his, which means I'll need a new name for it.' Tornado…

"Is he…?" Iida wondered.

"Took him long enough. We're finally going to see his Quirk!"

The remaining class was in a frenzy. Could this be the full extent of the Quirk that wrecked a zero point obstacle? All Might was hesitant to say anything at first. As the runner headed toward him, the ordinary one came crashing down with his arm ready to slam down.

"…Smash!" Tenya was blown away before he could do anything. Uraraka still held the pillar tightly. The floor collapsed under the intense wind pressure. The force from Deku's last resort caused all the lower floors to give out. All Might acted quickly.

"Young Bakugo! The ceiling's coming down! Get out of there!"

Bakugo was quick about it as his nitro boost was enough. All he could do afterwards was look up. The number one hero quickly realized that this last ditch effort was just like his Detroit Smash. The wind formed a fiercely blowing tunnel that carried the debris back to the top and blew the roof clear off the building.

Everyone was mouth agape again, and some were even frightened by this display. Ochako's Quirk made the pillar seem lighter. And with that, she decided to end it.

"Sorry about this, Iida. Improvised special move: Comet Home Run!" She swung the pillar and sent all the debris towards Tenya.

"You call this a home run?" he freaked out as he couldn't do anything. There was just enough wind to lift up the gravity girl further.

"Release…" she struggled to maintain, but she fell on the weapon and it was finally done. "We did it…!"

"Ah! No! The weapon!" He couldn't believe it. Midoriya caused this much damage with one swing. Then he noticed the gaping holes in the floors. Then he looked back up and saw Izuku barely standing up.

Katsuki was infuriated. He couldn't believe that Izuku had that much destructive power; he felt short changed that the one who caused all this went easy on him.

"It can't be… So this is how you planned to make me look bad! You've been holding out on me, you bastard!"

Ochako slid off the target feeling rather uneasy. Iida rushed over to her. "Uraraka, are you all right?"

She suddenly felt the uneasiness fade off. "Iida…? Where's Deku?"

"Right there. But he looks even worse…" Both friends looked over as he approached.

Tenya had looked like everything just stopped, completely lifeless as he saw the terrible shape of his new friend. "Midoriya, why? You didn't have to…!"

"I wanted to tell both of you. I can't control my Quirk. That's why I was reluctant toward using it… The day we met, I broke a lot of bones trying to save everyone; my legs and arm were totaled."

The class couldn't believe what they heard or saw. Who had ever heard of anyone who hurts themselves with their Quirk to such extent that it results in broken bones?

"If you had your Quirk as long as the rest of us, then…"

"That's the problem. I was a late bloomer. I didn't have a lot of time to maintain this power, and when I went too far, I'd always end up hurt. Mr. Aizawa also said I'd be of no use to anyone like this. So that's why I try not to use it so much until I'm better with it."

"We'll help you, Deku. If you can do, well, this, you might be a top-notch hero yet."

"She's right. It's okay for a hero to ask unto one of his own."

"You guys are great. Oh, one last thing…" Izuku felt himself weakening. "Can one of you give a message to Kacchan for me? Tell him what I told you. I want him to understand I didn't mean to hurt his pride by holding out. I just wanted to win…"

00:02 00:01 00:00 TIME UP

It was absolute silence. No one dared to say anything. People's perspectives of the first four combatants began sinking in after 20 minutes of grueling hell. Just then, All Might made the announcement.

"It's over…"

"The hero team…" Izuku lost his vitality and collapsed backwards flat on the ground.

"Midoriya/Deku!" The others rushed over to the fallen successor.

"…wins!"

Next time

AM: You certainly took a lot of damage, young man. Are you all right?

Deku: I'm okay… Just had it a bit too rough out there, that's all.

AM: You know you'll have to face a lot people after this, especially Bakugo.

Deku: I'll be fine. Facing hardships day in and day out is what makes great heroes.

AM: Precisely!

Deku: Next time: The Way to the Top

AM: I need to find a way to be a better teacher. Somehow.

Deku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	10. The Way to the Top

Good chapter last time? Great. Wasn't too short, was it? If it was, here's hoping this chapter makes it up to everyone who thought so. It's just great to know that when I drop a new chapter, I get a few more favorites and/or follows. This happens to be my second most favored and maybe even followed story. You guys are really liking this so I have to keep going.

The smoke cleared. Everyone was silent, but All Might had made the winning announcement. "The first match of the combat exercise is over. The hero team wins!"

Afterwards, the others began to lighten up a bit.

"I can't believe this. Iida hardly has a scratch on them while Bakugo got all banged up. Uraraka is uneasy from her Quirk and because of his, Midoriya is flat on the ground." said Kirishima.

"These four take the hero experience to a whole new level." Ojiro shook feeling both excited and fearful.

"This class is intense, ribbit." Asui croaked.

"No way, man! These guys are crazy! We'd be lucky to even survive against Midoriya or Bakugo!" Mineta trembled.

Just then, All Might heard a distressed call coming from the building.

"All Might! If you can hear me, it's Iida!"

"Yes, Young Iida, I can hear you."

"Hurry, sir, Midoriya is in really bad shape! He's collapsed from complete exhaustion. Uraraka and I will be waiting on the top floor."

"Yes, thank you, I've already called for a medical sentry to take Young Midoriya to Recovery Girl. I'll be there shortly. Students, remain here. I'll be back after I tend to the others." With that, he rushed to the nearly destroyed building. The others only looked up at the screen that closed in on their severely injured classmate.

Moments later, he made it to the top floor. He was greeted by the friends who stayed by the courageous yet fallen Deku.

"All Might. Has the stretcher arrived?" Tenya asked.

"Yes, it's just downstairs." answered the pro hero.

"Maybe I should levitate Deku with my…" Ochako was about to suggest before she fell, but…

"Wait, Uraraka." Tenya stepped in trying to help her. "We can't have you in any worse shape. You overdone it a few times already."

"He's in good hands with me." All Might made sure Izuku was okay after returning to the bottom floor. The robotic sentries easily lifted Izuku after being placed down.

 **To the nurse's office**

 **I know**

Katsuki felt cheated out of his chances. Pain, agony and rage swelled deep within. (Was that Deku? What the hell did he do to make all this happen? He looked right past me and made me look a complete idiot. And on top of that, he found a way to win the exercise. Wait. If he had that much power, does that…?) That's when the rage began to sink in. Hyperventilating, he was emotionally scarred. (That fucking loser would've…? I didn't stand a chance? Deku would have still beaten me with that Quirk?! That's it! I'll ruin him, I'll fucking destroy him…!)

A hand firmly rested on his shoulder. Bakugo was at a standstill. He realized it was All Might. "Young Bakugo, cool your jets. It's going to be okay. Let's head back and go over your works. There's always something you can take from any situation, so long as your mind is open to the possibilities."

The majority of the class were present, aside from Midoriya. "Well, it's safe to say the MVP of our first match is Young Iida!"

"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes since they're the winners?"

"Good question. Why didn't I choose one of them? Anyone know?"

"Allow me, All Might." said Yaoyoruzu.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Iida was the only one to truly adapt to the situation. Allow me to explain. Bakugo was driven by a long lasting grudge and hatred for Midoriya. And as you stated yourself, it was foolish to use such a destructive force in such a closed space.

The same can be said for Midoriya. His Quirk not only did excessive damage to the building, but to himself. Not to mention, his determination to outmatch Bakugo didn't feel like anything a hero would do, despite the fact that Midoriya called out Bakugo for being a possible villain, they both took things too far and it felt like they really tried to hurt one another. And the vulgarity from both of them; when he knocked out Bakugo, I was just appalled. True, Midoriya used machines to help him, but the overwhelming strength of his Quirk did him in.

As for Uraraka, she walked into the lion's den unprepared and unexpectedly. Her final move was also reckless on her part. Overexerting her Quirk the way she did proves that she might have been desperate. Saying this was child's play is putting it mildly. The heroes won, yes, but they neglected the fact that this was a simulation of a real possibility. Such recklessness could have been made things more disastrous. Iida was the only one to really stay true to the criteria and even devised a zero gravity countermeasure, even though he was done in by such a last ditch effort for the win."

Once again, complete silence struck. All Might was very surprised for once. (She really nailed all of it, and then some…) "Well, Iida could have been a less tense around the shoulders, but nice going."

"It's a necessity that we always stay true to the basics. If we can't support one another with great feeling, how can we call ourselves heroes?"

"Ha. Well said. Everyone, let's get things started for the next match. Heroes, Team B; villains, Team I."

In a different building, the two teams got ready. Ojiro and Hagakure had already formulated something.

"Okay, I'll use my invisibility to take Shoji and Todoroki by surprise."

"That way if Shoji makes it up here, I think I can take him. What are…?"

"Oh, uh, try not to look, okay?"

"I still can't see you either way." (Hagakure is using her Quirk to our advantage. However, her being a girl, I don't know how to feel about this.)

Meanwhile, Mezo decided to use his Quirk to come up with a game plan. As multiple arms spread out, each one sprouting random limbs, he could decide the best course of action.

"Todoroki, both seem to be on the fourth floor. However, the invisible one is on the move." He said.

"So she's planning to ambush us?" Shoto seemed unphased. "Shoji, wait outside. I've got this." The multi armed hero exited to observe what Shoto was planning. "A defensive game, is it? Shouldn't matter to me. We've already won."

In no time, by touching his right hand to the wall, the whole building was covered in solid ice. Ojiro and Hagakure were frozen in place. The other students were completely at a loss for words. Bakugo was slightly annoyed that he wasn't the only one with an exceptional Quirk.

"You can try to move, but you know you can't beat me." said Shoto attempting to intimidate the martial artist.

"Look here, everyone. He used his Quirk in a way that secured the weapon, immobilized the enemy forces and did zero damage to his teammate." All Might shivered as the cold air reached the gathering point. Todoroki lightly placed his left hand on the weapon, and it was over. "The hero team… wins!" A massive amount of steam shot out melting the ice that coated the building.

"Heat too?" Ojiro looked around to see the ice disappearing.

"It's not your fault; the gap was just too great between us." The dual temperature wielder simply walked off.

"Hot and cold? That's some amazing power!"

"No wonder he was accepted through recommendation."

"After the rundown, everyone get ready for the next round."

"Sir!"

The last three matches weren't as intense as the first two. Sero using his adhesive Quirk to form a barrier around the weapon and Kirishima's hardening formed a solid defense. Tokoyami and Asui took to the offense with very different abilities. The avian hero clung to the shadows which strengthened his power. The frog girl used the layout of the building to find the best places to hop, jump and leap.

Yaoyoruzu set up a barrier of steel bars with her Quirk and for added measure, Mineta added a few of the orbs from his head stating that anyone will stick to them on contact. Jiro could hear sound from every inch of the building with her Quirk. She signaled Kaminari what they were looking for were just above them. Electricity coursing through, he was ready for anything.

And finally, feeling excited, Sato got pumped up for anything. Koda at first seemed to be a bit nervous by this. Aoyama just leisurely walked in not realizing Ashido was right behind him. She was using her acid to easily slide across the floors of the building. Easily excitable, she felt she could take on anything. The number one hero was pleased with the end results.

Afterwards, everyone gathered outside. All Might was about to dismiss everyone, but wanted to say a few more things first. "All right, everyone, great job! We didn't have any major injuries, except for Young Midoriya. You all performed very well!"

"It's nice to get some words of encouragement now and again. Mr. Aizawa is kind of a buzzkill." Asui said.

"I'm pleased to offer great tidings to such bright students. Now if you'll excuse me, I must check on Midoriya. Watch how a real hero exits, like he's got somewhere to be!" With that, he simply dashed off.

"So cool!" Minoru was simply stunned.

"Man, I'll never be able to run that fast…" the tailed fighter complained.

(Young Bakugo has such pride for a hero hopeful. A school like U.A. just might have the wrong effect on him. I'll have to sort him out later…) All Might just kept running for the door before he deflated.

"I can barely keep myself together…" *poof* "Even after class lets out. Shit!"

Tenya signaled Ochako that this was there moment to talk to Katsuki alone. "Bakugo, we need to tell you something. It's about Midoriya."

"What is it? What could you have to tell me about Deku?"

The runner knew he had do this for his friend. "Right before he collapsed, he asked us to give you a message."

The three made sure no one else could listen in. "All right, what's this special message?"

"Here it is. Midoriya's Quirk is unstable, that's why he didn't use it at first."

"That can't be right! How is that someone who's had a Quirk like that can't even use it? If he had that power for a long time…"

"He didn't."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He's a late bloomer. Deku told us it was long after everyone in your classes got theirs."

"My guess is the reason he built or even had those machines with him was he wanted to be a hero if it meant not even having a Quirk."

"You're telling me he was too scared to use his Quirk?"

"I wouldn't say that. Midoriya knew if he overdid it, he'd break several bones at once. He even realized Mr. Aizawa made it pretty clear yesterday. Didn't you see him on the stretcher?"

"Yeah, I saw him. It still doesn't add up. Seems to me he was just too scared to use it." the rogue huffed.

"He knew how strong his uncontrollable power was. He didn't want anyone to end up in worse shape than he is right now. It's clear you're both trying to become top heroes." Uraraka objected.

"You probably didn't know about this, but that stupid idiot did this to me."

Both were surprised. "You do look like you took a nasty hit. All those bruises. That was from Midoriya?" Iida asked.

"All right, now you give that worthless pile of broken bones a message from me! Tell him this is far from over! That bastard might have won, but it doesn't mean he's better or will even come close to being a better hero than me! Like I told him before we came here, I'm more deserving of becoming a hero."

It took a while to settle in. "Okay, Bakugo. Let's hurry back to the others. Maybe Midoriya will be discharged soon."

Seeing as how no one was around, All Might made his way to check on Izuku unbeknownst to the fact he would be in for it with Recovery Girl.

"The school year just started and I've treated this boy one too many times! Why didn't you do something, All Might?"

"I know… Sorry about that, Recovery Girl."

The old lady sounded fed up. "Well, it's no good apologizing to me. He's still too worn out from yesterday; I can't treat all his injuries at once. I did a bit of first aid, and once the IV is done, we need to wait for his body to heal itself overnight. Honestly, All Might, I know this boy is important to you, seeing as how you gave him your power, but you can't let things like this just happen."

"I'm really trying not to play favorites. I wanted to see that he was capable of handling today's class on his own. Oh, and if you're going to bring up One For All, can you try doing it more quietly?" he quickly tried to lower himself.

"I know, I know. Can't have your big secret going around, can we?"

"The only ones who know the truth about my condition and about the Toxic Chainsaw accident six years ago are the U.A. faculty and certain other pro heroes. However, only you, Principal Nedzu, a close friend on the force, and Young Midoriya are the only ones who know the secret behind One For All."

"It's amazing you're still the number one hero, All Might. Must you keep being the Symbol of Peace even though you aren't a natural hero? How important it is to you?"

"If I can no longer continue being the Symbol of Peace, our superhuman society would no doubt fall into even more corruption. One For All; those that bare this Quirk's power are burdened with humanity's fate on their shoulders."

"Hmm. Well, if that's the case, it's also important that you become a better guide for your successor."

"You're right. Not just for him, but for all my students, there has to be a way to be a proper teacher."

 _Under my tutelage, you will become a great hero._

 _It's all a matter of how hard you bust your ass to use my awesome power._

 _One… For… All?_

 _Smash!_

 _Like an egg about to explode in a microwave!_

 _Simple, yet unique. If that's it, then I can suggest reduce the wattage, or lower the cook time. Anything to prevent the egg from blowing up._

 _I'm in it to win it!_

 _Not bad at all._

 _So what if you think I'm useless? That doesn't matter to me now. The way I am now, nothing will get me down. Kacchan, after this… I won't stand for you bullying anyone again! Here one out, when people hear the name 'Deku', they'll know I can do anything!_

 _FUCK YOU!_

A few hours went by. Izuku had finally come around. He realized where he was. After all, he was only there yesterday.

"What happened?" He looked around.

"Rise and shine, sonny." It was Recovery Girl.

"Recovery Girl? How did I get here?"

"My medical droids sent by All Might brought you here. Did I have something to say to him, I'll tell you that much. Well, at least you're all right."

"Was it bad?" The young successor felt bad for a second.

"Your arm wasn't as bad as when you first used your Quirk. You won't need a cast, but it should stay bandaged and relax in a sling until tomorrow. Your other arm just has a few bruises. Your ribcage seems okay, too. Nothing broken." she went over the diagnostics.

"Guess I'm still drained from yesterday, wasn't I?"

"You guessed it. That's all for today's treatment. Be sure to come by before class tomorrow and I'll see how you're doing. Try and relax for today."

After taking a short walk down the hallway trying to make sense of everything that happened, a familiar voice reached out. "Young Midoriya?"

"Oh. All Might…" Izuku perked up a bit.

"I see your out and about. About class today, you really showed your stuff."

"Guess so. But I still ended up like this. It'll be a while before I control this power."

Even skin and bones, his smirk still looked the same. "Hey, that's fine. Don't be in such a hurry, young man. Also, can I get your costume? You really need it looked at."

"Okay, just gimme a sec…" A few minutes later, Izuku had emerged from the room. His suit was still messy and he didn't bother to tie his tie. "Here. Now why did you need it?"

"I know a few people at the clothing company and I figured you could use a more sturdy costume. I noticed it wasn't like the others."

"You're right. It was a rushed job. But can they really make better? I don't want the design to be completely different."

"That's fine. You just want to keep the original look of the costume and have the suit rebuilt around it. That way, instead of an ordinary jumpsuit, it'll look more refined, like a real hero costume. One last thing, about Young Bakugo? I heard you wanted Iida and Uraraka to send a message to him."

"You heard? Did he take it well?"

"In the monitor room where we watched the matchups, the surveillance allowed the students to see and _hear_ everything."

"Hear everything? Then everyone knows Kacchan and I…?"

"Don't worry, I talked to him. It seems he was shaken up after seeing Todoroki in action."

 _Ah, Young Bakugo! Listen, confidence is important. And know you have great talent to be a real pro. Starting tomorrow, start climbing higher, young man...!_

 _All Might? I can't walk. I didn't tell anyone, but it should be obvious by now. I will be a great hero, just need to regather myself after everything that's happened._

"I was out for the rest of class, so I wasn't able to see it. I bet it was impressive."

"Iida and Uraraka did relay your message. He still wants to be a hero as much as you do. I'm just hoping this facility can help him on the right path. You should head to back to the classroom. Maybe some people are still there."

(Man, being a teacher is hard.)

"I can't believe I slept through the whole day. Mr. Aizawa won't be too thrilled about this. Shit!" He was within reach of the classroom.

"Hey there, Midoriya!"

"Ah, Hatsume."

The mechanic was straight forward. "Wow, you're a mess. Did you lose a fight or something? I'm just messing with you. I know what happened today."

"You do?"

"Congrats, tough guy. You're now the talk of the entire first year class."

"I am?"

"Apparently, Class 1-B overheard your class talking and they spread word of the name Midoriya. I was surprised when it reached my department. I had a feeling you used a few of your metal trinkets to help you out."

"I did. Oh, speaking of which, I won't be able to swing by tomorrow morning. I got hurt pretty badly today. Recovery Girl wants me in the medical ward before class."

"It's okay, Midoriya. Just focus on healing. You won't be able to work on new gadgets if you're not at your best."

"Augmentation." Mei looked puzzled. "My Quirk is some sort of physical augmentation. It'll be a long while before I'm able to control it."

"Ha. That explains why you're so strong. Well, guess I have to tell you. With my Quirk, my eyes can focus, even zoom in on a certain point. It's very useful when I'm coming up with new designs. Your classmates are probably waiting. You should go in. Let me know when you're better."

"'Kay. Tomorrow before lunch?"

"Sounds great!" And she was off.

With that, Deku opened the sliding door to find roughly half the class were still there. He was greeted by Eijiro first.

"Hey there, Midoriya! Glad to see you all right, superstar." the redhead came up. "Name's Eijiro Kirishima! I placed 2nd in the exams. Come on, let me introduce everyone who's left today. We were waiting for you so we can go over the videos from class today. Guys and gals, meet the 7th place examinee, Izuku Midoriya!"

Everyone left was relieved he was out of his hospital bed. The sparkling blonde stepped up first. "Amazing, Midoriya. You really knew how to shine. However, your words, not so much. That finishing move with the wind storm, _vraiment magnifique._ With that power, you can shine brighter than anyone, other than me, of course."

Mina ran up and shook Izuku. "Ah! I'm just glad you're okay! You were a total pro out there today! Your dodges had us all on edge! You're not still hurt, are you? If that jerk tries anything again, I'll…!"

"Ashido, settle down. He just got back from getting patched up." Eijiro intervened. Izuku felt dizzy after his ordeal.

"I'm dizzy…"

The pink girl couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Sorry about that, I just can't stand bullies. And I was a bit tense from watching the matches. I'm Mina Ashido, by the way. I was paired with Aoyama."

"Hanta Sero. I was paired with Kirishima. I have to tell you, I got one look at you when you knocked out Bakugo, If it had been me, man, I don't know. You gotta train with us. Seeing you got us pumped up for our matches."

"Sure, and maybe this'll help with controlling my Quirk."

"Name's Tsuyu Asui. Just call me Tsu."

"Hey, little man. Nice to see your okay. I'm Rikido Sato. One of the strongest dudes in the class. You look pretty strong yourself."

"I may seem ordinary, but you're right, I really am strong. I just don't show it."

"Hey, you're the plain looking guy, right? Kyoka Jiro. You and Bakugo were definitely the loudest of any of us today."

"I'm guessing that's not a good thing." he slumped.

"No, no. Heroes are supposed to be loud. Way to really bring the house down with that last punch, pal." Jiro assured the injured one.

A dark being appeared. "Midoriya, was it? Fumikage Tokoyami. I was paired with Tsu."

"Do you usually come out of nowhere?"

"Just my Quirk."

"Minoru Mineta. You have got to be the bravest one of us to actually knock out someone as scary as Bakugo."

"I know, right? All the things he said today and back then, all the awful things he did to me. It was too much. I just got so angry… I wanted him to see I had every right to be here."

"You had it right, Midoriya. Anyone hoping to become a hero who belittles those around him is closer to being a villain."

"We all saw that punch. Before, it was like wild animals in a cage fight. Scary stuff. I'm still scared just being too close to you right now." shivered the smallest classmate.

"I can't hurt you, Mineta. I'm in no shape to fight anyone." Deku looked over and saw his close friend.

"Midoriya/Iida!" Both were happy to see each other. "Are you sure you should be moving around right now?"

"Iida, I'm fine. Nothing's broken; my arm or my ribs."

"That was a low blow. And the black eye. When Uraraka and I watched the playback, we couldn't believe what we saw."

"I guess I let out more than I thought. Just glad growing up was never this bad."

"Hey, hey, there he is!" Kaminari entered the room. "Electrifying! That's the perfect word to describe you out there today." Deku really felt his hand on his shoulder and twitched a bit.

"Hey, thanks, and you are?"

"Denki Kaminari."

"This is the clown I was paired with. Apparently, his Quirk is an electricity type." said the rocker girl.

"Nothing broken?" Denki asked.

"No, I'm okay, just need to wear this until tomorrow."

"Deku?" Izuku's ears perked up after hearing that familiar sound.

"Uraraka…" he spoke quietly.

"You're okay? You sure don't look like it."

"I just need one night's sleep and I'll be all right." said Izuku.

"Before I forget, we have a few messages from the others who couldn't be here to see you." said Sero.

"The others?"

Mina relayed the messages. "Shoji says 'That's quite an arm you've got. And you're strong enough to take a punch, too.' Hagakure says 'Coming from someone invisible, here's hoping the school sees more of you.'. Ojiro says 'My punches are no where near as strong as yours. Gotta spar some time, man!'. Koda says 'You really know how turn a situation around. Great sign of teamwork and a hero.' Yaoyoruzu says 'As much as I respect you for not showing any weakness, you still can't call yourself a hero yet if your Quirk is damaging you. Keep at it and you'll get there!' And Todoroki says 'As impressive as you were today, I look forward to facing you myself once you get better with that power. I'll be waiting.'."

"Then you know how I become the talk of the first years?"

"Yeah, apparently, the other hero class overheard us and spread your name around. You heard about that?" Tsuyu was intrigued.

"Yeah, another first year from the Department of Support told me."

"That girl, Mei Hatsume, right?" asked Ochako.

"Midoriya, there's one more message; you know who it is." Tenya hesitated.

"All right, lay it on me. What did Kacchan have to say? All Might already said he talked to him, too."

"Bakugo says things aren't over between you. He still thinks he deserves to be a hero more than you." The nice girl felt down herself.

"Now, I'm really depressed… Maybe going over everyone's matches will help."

Ochako sprung up. "Cheer up, Deku! I saw when you fought on the ground floor when I faced Iida. That was insane! Don't be so down on yourself."

"Okay! Thanks for the pep talk."

Rewatching himself and everyone in their matches and secretly analyzing their Quirks for his fourteenth notebook, Izuku started to see the amazing capabilities and talents of his new classmates. He knew he'd have to face Katsuki and Shoto, but not for a while longer. If he wanted to meet such staggering expectations, he had to have better control of One For All. He was a brilliant mind with machinery, so Mei could play a role in it somehow. Izuku and Katsuki were both driven by ambition, but both on very different paths to the top.

Next time

Tenya: Glad to see you're back to full health again.

Izuku: That was quite the ordeal yesterday.

Tenya: You amaze me yet again, Midoriya. If only I can be as resourceful as you…

Izuku: Iida? I feel like you can be stronger than me sometimes. Next time: School Crisis

Tenya: I can… I must be strong… as he expects me to be!

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	11. Update

Sorry to drop this on my readers, but seeing as how I'm currently working on the class rep chapter, I'd like to ask a few questions about future chapters. First question refers to Deku's quote,unquote utility belt. What things from any Batman series that he had handy would you like to see Deku use here? Maybe some things that he can use with One For All?

The second question is about the following arc. Should Izuku's costume come back early? l remember that Izuku didn't wear his reinforced costume until after the Sports Festival, but for what I have in store for him and Shigaraki at USJ, I would really like to unveil it.

Just keep an eye out for new content. Like I stated, this is probably my second most favored and followed story. You guys are great!


	12. School Crisis

It's great that more people are getting involved with this great story. I'm having fun writing it. Last time, I mentioned I was making quite a few changes. Sorry this one took so long, I was going back and forth in PM for a few days.

The morning came, and Izuku was still a bit weary after being up for nearly half an hour. He had remembered everything that happened yesterday. He even recalled telling Inko why he was in such terrible shape.

"Mom?"

"Oh. Good morning, Izuku… Are you feeling any better?"

"Guess I needed a good night's sleep is all. My arms are still a little stiff, but that's only because of the bandages. Good thing I get them off before class." The inheritor saw that still dismal look. "Something wrong?"

"You know I'm still upset about your black eye and the fact your own Quirk is hurting you, don't you?"

"I felt bad about how I lost my temper with Kacchan yesterday, but knowing this Quirk might get me seriously hurt is my greatest concern."

"I was very surprised. You hardly get angry with anyone. Katsuki was wrong to say what he did; you did earn this and you do have what it takes."

"Doesn't help now that I'm almost well known after the first two days. Nearly destroying a building, losing my temper by knocking out Kacchan with a single hit, breaking my bones with my Quirk whenever I use it..."

"What about those devices you always work on?"

"Yeah, there has to be a way to use both. Maybe that girl from the Department of Support can help."

"What girl?"

"Right. I forgot to mention. Mei Hatsume. She's not aiming to be a hero, but she's attending U.A. as an inventor."

"Didn't realize U.A. had other courses other than for heroes. How is your new class? It sure was nice of the ones who couldn't stay afterwards yesterday to send such positive messages."

"I guess a little recognition is good now and again." After breakfast, he was on his way. The train ride was rather smooth than usual. He had arrived at U.A. and went right in to see Recovery Girl.

"Hmm, your arms seem to be okay, but for today, try not to use your Quirk. That way they can rest a bit more." the old lady said.

"Hopefully we don't have any intense classes today."

"Midoriya? I know you inherited that power from All Might. Don't worry, I've known his secret for some time now."

Deku felt uneasy. "How many know?"

"Very few people, dear. He didn't want just anyone knowing this. In fact, Principal Nedzu knows, that's why he asked All Might to become a teacher here."

"Come to think of it, there were quite a few video cameras around the time I got here." He had remembered when the number one hero said the school wanted to wait to make an official announcement that he was going to start teaching.

"Those darned newscasters. Ever since he came back, the media has been trying to interview the teachers for information."

"Don't worry. Mr. Aizawa, Present Mic, even Power Loader wouldn't sell out a hero like All Might."

There wasn't enough time to drop in on Hatsume and Power Loader so he headed for Class 1-A. Feeling the strength in his arms returning, he was as lively as ever. Not even getting a glimpse of Katsuki could shake him. He spotted Uraraka and Iida.

"Morning, Deku. Hey, you can move your arms now?"

"Yeah, I just got back the bandages removed and I'm starting to get some feeling back into them."

"Nice to see you're doing well. Especially what happened yesterday. How's your eye?"

"It'll be a while before the color fades."

Just then, Shota had entered the room to talk about yesterday's results. "All right, before we get started, I went over the matches from yesterday. Not bad… However…! Bakugo, you have potential, but you've got to stop wasting it by acting like a stupid eight year old. Midoriya, please tell me you don't intend on breaking your limbs every time. You have to work harder to control that unruly Quirk to overcome that hurdle, that way you can last longer when it really matters. And don't make me say it a third time. Now then, hope you're ready for this. Hate to spring this, but…" The tension rose in the room. "We need a class rep. It's not up to me, but for the class to decide. So talk it over among each other today."

"Class rep?"

"And it can go to anyone?"

"A leader role, no doubt."

"Just as long as you decide by the end of the day, I really don't care." Aizawa slunk back into his sleeping bag.

"Well, I know who it should be. Go for it, Midoriya!"

"Me? I-I cant!"

"With that incredible power, you could do amazing things."

"What good is having a Quirk like this if I break myself every time I use it when I'm expected to lead a large group?" Izuku slunk down.

"If I may, Midoriya? Perhaps you feel insecure about the leader role because your Quirk is still unstable." Momo walked up.

"Besides, I'm not the leading type… What about you? The words in your message from yesterday for me were right. I can't be a real hero if I'm hurt by my own strength." he quickly perked back up.

"I believe I also mentioned my respect for your bravery. But that grudge you and Bakugo have will get in the way. Just focus on yourself for the time being."

Hours rolled by. Izuku was on his way to see Mei. Before he could, a familiar voice was heard.

"Midoriya, can I have a minute?" It was Tenya.

"What's on your mind, Iida?"

"It's about the rep selection. I think you should take it."

"In all honesty, it sounds like something you'd be better at. Let's get Uraraka's thoughts on this. I'll meet you at the lunch room when I'm done."

"Where are you running off to?"

"Thought I'd stop by the Development Studio before lunch."

"That's quite a distance. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I've been there. There's someone I wanted to talk to."

"This about you wrecking your costume yesterday?"

"No, All Might said he knew some people at the clothing company and can get it reinforced. Iida, tell Uraraka where I went and that I'll be there shortly." And he was off like a flash.

Just then, the person in question walked up. "Was that Deku?"

"He took off in a hurry, but told me he'd catch up with us later."

Izuku made his way back to the Department of Support. A few first years like him who heard about his feats walked up. They saw he looked lost. They nervously showed Deku to the studio. As he looked around, he noticed rocket attachments, countless tools, wiring, even what looked like an exoskeleton.

"Hey there, Midoriya! Didn't think you were coming."

"Hatsume. Is this exoskeleton your design?"

"A real beauty, this one. So, I heard a few others brought you here. What can I help ya with?"

"Well, I did say I couldn't stop by earlier today so I figured I'd drop by while everyone is getting lunch. But I can't stay too long. While my costume's getting patched up, I wanted to add some limb support. Just something easy to wear underneath."

"Worry not. You're probably hoping to make something similar to this. I've got time so I'll work on some type of reinforced arm bands to make that raw power more manageable."

"And I'll stop by after school to lend a hand. I'm also pretty good with tools myself."

"Great!"

Deku reunited with his two pals. He told them about his plans to make One For All easier to use. Uraraka brought up how she thought Izuku would also be a suitable rep. Again, the messy haired one had to respectfully disagree.

"What do you think, Iida? I feel like people selected me because they know how strong I am without realizing I could end up even worse than recently."

"It seems to me you have your own sense of judgment and pride and that's what the class sees. I should know; I'm using my sense of judgment on this call."

"Yeah, but you have the look and image down pact, Iida. It wouldn't make a difference which one of you does it."

"The only reason I recommended Yaoyoruzu was she was the most insightful during yesterday's class. Or so I heard from everyone else."

"Speaking of image, I don't believe I ever told either of you about my lineage. The Iida family has been in heroics for the longest time. I just don't like when it gets brought up too much. How familiar are you with Ingenium?"

" _The_ Ingenium? The super speed hero whose main office has as many as 65 sidekicks? I've seen him in action while he was in town a few times!"

"As expected, Midoriya, your knowledge of heroes is impeccable. Yes, I'm his kid brother. Seeing the way he guides people, it concerns me. If you think I should lead the class, then..."

Without a moment's notice, alarms started blaring. All students in the area were in panic. The three friends overheard it could possibly have been Level 3. Someone or something had breached the famous U.A. Barrier. The high speed runner spotted something outside; it was the press. After hearing that All Might had begun teaching, every news source was trying to get a story with the top hero.

More chaos ensued. Students began stirring into a frenzy. Having almost been separated from the others, Tenya began pondering the situation.

(So many people. Why aren't the teachers anywhere? Do they also have their hands full with the media? Think, what would I do if I were Midoriya or my brother? I've got it!) "Uraraka, grab my hand! I have an idea to get us out of this!"

Not far away, Izuku saw what his friend was planning. "Hey, Iida, take this, you'll need it!" A small device landed in his hand and he saw it looked like a voice amplifier.

The Zero Gravity girl's fingertips finally reached Tenya. As he started to float, he knew what he had to do. Using his speed boost in midair, he spun forward and clung to a pipe above the exit sign. Using the mini mic he borrowed from Deku, his voice was brimming and loud.

"Everyone calm down! The ones infiltrating the building were the press! No reason to panic! We're students at U.A.! We should aspire to be brave in the face of danger no matter what happens!"

Moments later, the feds swarmed the facility and the media cleared out. Returning the mini mic, Tenya felt a rush. Izuku knew he would have to make a bold move. The class re-gathered as Yaoyoruzu made the first move.

"Okay, let's begin with the ceremony. Midoriya?"

"First things first, I have something to say. Iida, I know you followed your sense of judgment choosing me, but you're the better man."

"What are you saying? It was your microphone that helped."

"Yeah, but you persuaded everyone in a way I couldn't. I would've just froze like I almost froze up earlier today. Your judgment and devotion are what Class 1-A needs."

"I don't know how to feel right now…"

"Take the role, Iida. This is _my_ judgment call."

With that, Tenya Iida and Momo Yaoyoruzu were appointed. After school, Deku told his pals he was off to see Mei before heading home. He rushed excitedly towards the studio.

"Hatsume? I came to wrap up what I was working on earlier."

"Good timing. It's that silver ring right there, isn't it?"

"Just a few tweaks and it's done." Deku shot his trademark smirk.

The faculty were outside and intrigued by the condition of the U.A. Barrier.

"There's no way any ordinary media could cause this. What do you think, Principal?"

"Hmm. It would seem the press was lead here by some unexplainable source. A villain, perhaps."

"So you're thinking our establishment is being targeted?"

"Possibly. This for sure was intentional. Evil could be looming over the walls of U.A. soon enough."

However, unbeknownst to the heroes, U.A. faculty, or news press, a heinous act was in fact coming to fruition.

"So it's true what they say. All Might is now a U.A. teacher."

"This could be the perfect opportunity. What if the light of the Symbol of Peace were to be extinguished by darkness?"

Next Time

Ochako: Say, Deku. What do you and Hatsume talk about?

Izuku: Oh, not much. Just our Quirks and knowledge of all things tech.

Ochako: You do hang out in the opposite wing a lot.

Izuku: I'm working on something special for my costume.

Ochako: Can I see it? Please, can I? I won't tell anyone.

Izuku: Don't worry, Uraraka. You'll all see it when we suit up again. Next time: A Step in the Limelight

Ochako: Does this mean your costume is making a comeback? We can't wait to see it!

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	13. A Step in the Limelight

Okay, this where things start picking up. Let's see how Izuku manages to surprise everyone this time. The USJ arc will play out over the next four chapters with a big surprise in store in the fourth one.

A few days had passed and things at U.A. seemed to just go by smoothly. Izuku had finished getting ready after a few morning stretches and updating his Quirk info. He knew they're wouldn't be enough room for all the new intel on his new classmates, so one day, he had already picked up a few more notebooks. With that, he got started examining everyone in Class 1-A and their Quirks. The first one he had been labeled 'Hero Analysis No. 14 The U.A. Chronicles'.

"Okay, I have Uraraka, Iida, Aoyama, Sero, Ojiro, Hagakure and Kaminari entered. But I'll have to get a closer look at the others during class if we end up using our powers for a class for more accurate information." Deku sounded half awake. "Oh, wait. There's also the updated info on Kacchan. And even though she's from a different department, I've even observed Hatsume." After packing up, he slunk downstairs.

"Mom…?"

"Down here, hon. You okay, you seem lopsided. Tell me you're not hurt by your Quirk." Inko feared the worst.

"No, it's not that. I think I'm getting used to it. Or maybe it because of the sparring rounds I had with Ojiro."

"Another classmate?"

"Yeah, he's also the hands-on fighter type. Maybe a bit taller with shorter blonde hair than Aoyama. His costume looks like something out of classic martial arts movies."

"Well, how about that brunette girl or your friend with the glasses?"

"Uraraka is as cheerful as usual. And Iida seems to be handling things as well as I knew he would."

It was good to talk about class from time to time, seeing as how Inko enjoyed hearing about Izuku's ventures. The station routine seemed to wake him up a bit more. Some time later, he arrived at U.A. and rushed to the Development Studio when he saw All Might.

"Morning, All Might…"

"Don't seem so nervous, Young Midoriya. Good news, your new costume is ready and its being transported here this morning!"

"It's finally done? Wait, you don't look too good…"

"Just had a rough morning commute, that's all. The hardships of being a hero. I saw the lesson plan for today, good thing because you'll need your new getup."

"Yeah, guess so!"

"Can't reveal too much, now. I'll see if I can make it to today's hero class." With that, All Might headed for the teacher's lounge while Izuku remembered how to reach the studio. Greeted by Power Loader, he was surprised by how much time Izuku had spent coming up with new ideas.

Mei turned the corner. Welcoming the successor, she pointed out that his designs were still on the second work bench. He had to make sure there was enough room for the finishing touches on his revived costume.

"Great, guess I'll see you after lunch to pick them up?"

"Okay, Midoriya, but what exactly have you been working on?"

"A few new compact machines and random objects to use with this silver ring I designed. But this goes on top since the first one didn't hold up very well."

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out. Why don't you go over them to make sure they're in working order and just take 'em this morning?" the metallic hero suggested.

"You sure, Power Loader?"

"Face it, sonny, as much as you spend here, Mei has been here even longer. Besides, you're needed in Heroics, this is the Support area."

"Still, it's nice to come around when a new idea comes to mind."

"Any reason you're extra chipper today?" Hatsume added.

"If you must know, Hatsume, my costume's finally finished and they're sending it back in time for our next hero lesson."

"Maybe I'll get to see it. Seeing as how I'm not really a hero, I still consider all these creations idea for my own hero costume."

"That's really cool. Geez, class is gonna start soon." Deku loaded his smaller devices in the holding areas of the silver ring. He didn't care that the bag felt a bit heavier; he dashed ahead to Class 1-A.

Some people knew he had a knack for sometimes being the last one in class or the first one to leave class. Throughout the day, things seemed pretty carefree. Hiding his excitement very well, by the time Eraserhead announced the next hero lesson, he didn't care what It was; it could have been another combat exercise for all he knew.

"Okay, time for the next step in heroics. Today's lesson subject is… rescue. For this, we'll need to go somewhere fitting for search and rescue services. You're welcome to suit up for this one. We'll be boarding for USJ."

This sparked something. Izuku knew rescuing those in need was key for being a hero. After strapping the arm bands into place, he slipped into his new costume. Deku was awestruck by his more heroic appearance. He even liked the gray outline that used to be white and he realized the company must've dyed the suit which explains the darker shade of green. He looked at his bag with determination and got something out of it. One final touch; the silver ring was really… a utility belt!

The last one to arrive, his new looked was eyed by the entire class for a solid minute. Izuku couldn't help but be nervous. This wasn't the first time he was the center of the class. Kirishima and Uraraka were the first to approach. Whereas Iida was simply amazed at his friend's new look.

(Midoriya. Now you look the part of a real hero.)

"Deku?" Ochako called out.

"Uh… Yeah…, it's me."

"Midoriya, this is your new costume? So sick, man! And I mean in a good way! What's with the silver waistband?" the hardening redhead sprang in front of him.

"It's pretty much just an accessory."

"Guess this is what happened to that down to earth jumpsuit." said Uraraka. "I like it. The ring around your neck, isn't it…?"

"You noticed. Yeah, the first one got totaled so I made this one from a few scrap parts."

"Impressive! The company was quick with the repairs, I see." Tenya added wanting to get a closer look.

"All Might was probably the reason why they worked so hard on it."

Everyone else just took it all in with their own different emotions and gazed at the new Izuku. Aizawa then walked up.

"Ah, here it is. All right, everyone, get in." Everyone boarded with anticipation for the trials ahead.

"If I had known it would be this kind of…"

"You sure are high spirited, Iida."

"Unlike some, Midoriya, I'm usually one to say what's on my mind, and something about you seems interesting." said Tsuyu.

"Uh, Asui, right?"

"Just Tsu will be fine. Your Quirk is similar to All Might's."

(Oh shit… She's right, even my movements when I use it, I try and look like All Might!) Izuku felt like he was in too deep, like feeling someone knew about his unbelievable secret.

"Hold on a minute, Tsu. All Might doesn't hurt himself when he uses his." Eijiro commented.

"Tsu's right. You already know I have trouble with my Quirk and have fractured several bones. It's probably because of my movements and the way I use my Quirk that make us so similar to his. I do happen to be All Might's number one fan." The successor started feeling down but perked back up.

"Dude, get out of here! I didn't know you were his biggest fan. We were surprised you knew Mr. Aizawa before any of us did. That explains why you shout 'smash' when you use it. Must suck having such a huge drawback like that." Then some of the others talked about the drawbacks of their Quirks.

"Yeah, I feel ya. Take my electricity for example. If I release too much, I short circuit and lose my train of thought." said Denki.

"My Quirk converts blood sugar into boosts of extra strength, but I start slowing down after the effects wear off. I became this strong as a way to somewhat counteract this weakness." Rikido added.

"I have two drawbacks unfortunately. With my right half, if I produce too much ice, I'll get frostbite. And with my left half, if I blow too much heat, I'll become lightheaded and possibly collapse." Everyone was surprised to hear even the high score among recommendations has his flaws.

"It's good to know I'm not the only one who has downsides to my Quirk. What about your drawback, Kirishima?" Deku asked.

"Well, my Hardening Quirk is good in close range fights, but I can't sustain as much damage as you'd think. It's nowhere near as flashy as yours. I don't get jealous easily, but I have to say, I'm really jealous of your Quirk, man."

"I don't know. Looking at it, it looks like the Quirk of a pro hero. Just need to focus on it like I do with mine."

"If were really talking about flashiness, my Navel Laser is the perfect mix of panache and power." Aoyama stated.

"But it would be bad if your stomach collapsed if you overdo it." intervened Mina.

"Alas. Too true."

"I'm sure glad my acid doesn't burn my hands when I use it, but it's not very flashy either."

"If we're talking about the flashiest Quirks in the class, then it's both Bakugo and Todoroki." the redhead chimed in.

"But there's no way Bakugo will be as popular a hero as Todoroki or you guys." Asui turned to both Eijiro and Izuku.

"Try saying that again, frog bitch! I'll be a bigger and more respected hero than All Might!" Katsuki flipped.

"See what I mean?"

"Not to mention Midoriya is already the talk of all the first years for his unusual feats. He'll be the most likely to be seen as the best among us. But the fact that he can destroy a building with one swing and break his bones just leaves more room for improvement." Momo threw in her two cents.

"Unlike Bakugo whose always rash and too headstrong for his own good. Compare him to Midoriya, no contest where they end up on the hero or even popularity scale." said Tokoyami.

"Hey, fuck off! Even if his so called flashy Quirk is like All Might's, all he'll ever be is a worthless loser!"

"Says the guy who got knocked out in one punch by him." the acidic classmate huffed. "I can't believe someone posted our class from that day! I still watch the videos from time to time." She continued excitedly.

"You might have placed on top, but you're still the farthest from the bar. I wouldn't be surprised if Midoriya does become a pro hero before any of us." Tenya put Bakugo on the spot.

"Just like you to say something, specs! If you think Deku can be a pro, let alone be better than me, you've got another thing coming!"

"Such vulgarity… How he was accepted, I'll never understand. But Midoriya? It's a mystery." the secondary rep squirmed.

"I know, right? But these two make things more interesting if you ask me. Especially Deku." Uraraka replied.

"All right, everyone. Settle down, we've arrived." Aizawa announced. The class finally reached the inside of USJ and were greeted by another pro hero and U.A. teacher.

"Floods, landslides, raging fires. All these and more await you beyond this point. I built this facility to prepare U.A. students for any disasters that any hero may come across. And its name is Ultimate Space For Jams: USJ!"

"The Space Hero: No. 13?"

"This is just amazing!"

"You seem happy."

"Just like your All Might's biggest fan, I'm 13's biggest fan!"

"So this is the class 1-A I've heard stories about. You must be 'Young Midoriya'."

"Say, 13, where's All Might? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He's still recuperating from this morning. He shouldn't be too long now."

"Now then, I'm sure you know of my Quirk, Black Hole. Any material that it sucks up, I fear becomes disintegrated."

"Seems like a Quirk that can be used to save people stuck under wreckage from disasters."

"Exactly. However, a power this strong could also easily kill anyone. In that case, it's no different from any other Quirk. Our superhuman society reinforces the lawful use of our powers. Remember, you all possess a Quirk that can go awry. One misstep is all it takes. On your first day, the assessment test Eraserhead put you through was to gauge your potential. The combat trial All Might set up gave you a sense of using your Quirks against one another. And now, I will show to use your Quirks for the sake of life itself!"

"That sounded incredible!"

"Wow. You really are 13's biggest fan."

"All right, first things first…"

Out of nowhere, a black spiral formed leaving an ominous feeling. As the field expanded, a very numerous opposition had emerged from it.

"13, protect the students!"

"You mean these are…?"

"Real villains!"

"Heh. Eraserhead and No. 13. And here we thought we were getting a shot at All Might."

"So this is the uneasy feeling looming over the school lately."

"Where is he?" One villain stepped forward. With grey hair, an old violet suit that may have been drenched in bleach, and a metal hand covering his face, he was simply looking around. "I didn't go through all the trouble… to rustle up as many of the baddest ruffians I could find… just to hear the so called Symbol of Peace didn't bother to show up. Wonder what might happen if we take it out on the students first?"

(Okay, I had trouble finding a color that contrasts with green, so it was between violet or magenta. Since the some renditions of Joker wear purple, I thought I'd try it. Let me know if I should make any changes.)

"13, aren't there supposed to be surveillance in case this happens?"

"Of course we took this necessary precaution, but…!"

"It probably means they have few in their numbers who can jam all signals and allow them to slip through undetected." Shoto intervened. "Think about this. The timing there'd be a hero class outside the main campus, and All Might just happens to be scheduled to arrive? He must be part of their objective. The villain front and center must've carefully planned the whole thing!"

"No. 13, evacuation protocol, now! I'll make my stand right here."

"Mr. Aizawa, do you plan to fight them alone?"

"It'll be all right, and if your info on me is up to date, Midoriya, then you should know my biggest haul yet."

(His style revolves around capturing villains after rendering their Quirks ineffective.)

"Go ahead, 13." Aizawa plummeted downwards ready to subdue as many targets as possible. The ones down below seemed unsure.

"Bullet squad, take aim."

"Wait, I don't recognize this guy… Who is he?"

"The hell if I know! Just take him down!"

His cloth bindings were too fast as they rendered two villains unable to respond and slammed them.

"Those eyes! Shit, now I know who this guy is. Anyone he glares at can't use their Quirk! It's Eraserhead!"

"Wonder if that works on mutant type Quirks."

"No such luck. I can only nullify emitter and transformation types." he answered.

"But I do…" Shota jabbed at the enemy charging him and swung him around to slam into a villain coming from behind. "…have a countermeasure. Mutant type Quirks won't do any good if they can't reach me. A great hero always has an extra plan up his sleeve. Now which of you scumbags are next?"

A black mist emitted in the direction of the others. A shadowy figure stepped out.

"Greetings, U.A. We, the League of Villains came all the way out here for the opportunity to confront All Might. Oh well, if he's not here, then we'll just…"

Without warning, Katsuki and Eijiro storm the castle and attempted to do some damage. 13 knew it wouldn't matter.

"Quite perilous, boys, but not good enough! It's time you were all scattered. Our numbers are spread throughout USJ. So they'll have fun terrorizing you. That's sure to draw out All Might."

The black mist enveloped more than half of the class. The ones ensnared in the darkness were separated in random locations. The others couldn't believe what had happened.

"Class rep Iida, use your speed to get in touch with the rest of the faculty. We've lost all reception so there's no way to get in touch with the outside. Even our infrared rays don't seem to work. You're the only one capable of doing this."

"What kind of hero would I be if I…?"

"This is the point of today's lesson. Use your Quirk to rescue those in need!"

"Think about Midoriya right now. He made you class rep because he knew you were the best man for the job. You can't let him down now!" Shoji shouted.

"He's already done so much for me. I need to do this!" A small spiral left 13 incapacitated and tried to ensnare Tenya, but Mezo ran interference.

"We'll back you up, Iida. Just keep going."

(Got to keep going! Damn, the door's automatic, isn't it?)

"Not happening! I'll see to it you end up…! What the hell?"

Ochako managed to use her Quirk to cause the mist to float. "I'm only assuming his real body's the one doing this. The one who scattered us all over the park. Run now, Iida!"

"Go on, we'll handle things til ya get back. Hurry!" Sero's adhesive clung to the solid part of the fog while the runner was able to open the gate, unable to hear what happened next.

Next time

Tsuyu: Ribbit? Where are we?

Izuku: Tsu? It looks like we were separated from everyone. It had to be that shroud that did it.

Tsuyu: So you, me and Mineta need to find our way back.

Izuku: Seems like it. We can't let 13, Mr. Aizawa or All Might face all those villains alone.

Tsuyu: Looks like we have company. How do we get back now, Midoriya?

Izuku: If the three of us use our Quirks effectively, this should work. Next time: Battlefield of Disaster

Tsuyu: Your concern for the class is inspiring.

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	14. Battlefield of Disaster

Okay, I've decided to try and push out another chapter after updating my other MHA fic. This time around, it will be the scattered class in the different areas of USJ. 13, Eraserhead, Uraraka, Ashido, Shoji, Sero and Sato are still in the center area. I'll put my own spin on each fight scene, and even write the fight scenes that weren't shown. We're getting closer to my surprise 'end of the arc' chapter, so MHA fans, remember to keep checking back for more. Also, if you noticed, I did do a bit of editing in the previous chapters. Be sure to go back and catch up if you feel like you need to.

All Might was recuperating from his commute in the teacher's lounge. He was about to head out to USJ when… "That's odd, I can't reach 13 or Aizawa… Better head out and see what's up."

"Wait a moment! You shouldn't move around so recklessly, Toshinori."

"Ah, Principal Nezu. Pleasant surprise seeing you here."

"If you're thinking about how I shine like this, the secret is keratin… But more importantly, I heard you rushed off to three situations this morning. You must think about your condition, not to mention you're supposed to be teaching Izuku to maintain One For All, seeing as how he's now your successor."

"I'm assuming you know of his strides recently?"

"Why, of course I do. As principal, there isn't a thing that happens in this school that I don't know about. Not crazy about the fact the boy nearly leveled a building in one of our training grounds, but I do like his resolve. He seems to be the opposite of another in his class. Maybe two…"

"You must mean Young Bakugo."

"And maybe even… Shoto Todoroki."

Back at USJ…

Izuku couldn't believe what had happened. Out of nowhere, a bunch of villains show up, and two claim they can eliminate All Might! On top of that, a majority of Class 1-A was separated.

"Wait. Where am I? It's all water, and there's a boat right there. Ah, it's the Flood Zone!" Izuku just plummeted from the black spiral in a freefall. Just after gathering his thoughts, he crashed into the waters below. 'That guy must have some teleportation Quirk…'

Just then, he felt like he was being targeted. An aquatic villain swam attempting to charge at Deku. Unbeknownst to either, Tsuyu sprung off the shark and her tongue reeled Deku in. Turns out she already had Mineta.

"Hang on, Midoriya."

Being a strong swimmer too, she made it to the surface of the water easily. First, her tongue turned and unrolled Izuku onto the ship. Mineta seemed to be out of it.

"Didn't think a frog girl could be this soft… up here…"

Without a second thought, her tongue came back and dropped him also on board.

"Asui, you saved us?"

"It's just Tsu. Seems were in a tight spot here."

"Would appear so. It's all connected somehow. Think about it; the media barging in, the brigade of villains, but the one thing that bothers me is All Might's absence." Izuku pondered.

"What do you mean?"

"That one villain in the suit seemed hell-bent on seeing All Might. He must be the one who orchestrated this whole thing!"

"That can't be right! All Might will show up, right?" Minoru shook.

"Listen, Mineta… The one who separated us and the creep in the bleached suit must have a way to do away with not only All Might, but maybe any U.A. hero, or even our class."

"Then what are our chances of holding out? There must be some reason all this is happening." Tsu looked over. "Midoriya?" She noticed he was in deep thought, which was usual for him.

"A reason? Maybe that's it. If there's even a slight chance they can take All Might down, we'll have to do our part, too. We stand firm, right here! We fight, and we win!"

"You're insane! What the hell can we do? If this entire swarm of villains all across the park are here for All Might, it's pointless! I saw you punch out Bakugo and even nearly level a freaking building; that was probably the scariest thing I've ever seen, but this is on a different level!"

"That's it! I know how to win now!"

"You do?"

Izuku brought everyone ducked down. "These villains are suited for aquatic areas, so my guess is that it was by random that we ended up here."

"Makes sense. If they knew about our Quirks, they would've separated everyone so were at a huge disadvantage. Like me, since my frog Quirk is better is places like this."

"But they don't know our Quirks." He instructed the others to look slightly ahead. "Look. They're not moving. This is proof that they don't know what we can do. Let's go over our Quirks and I'll come up with a way out."

"I'll start. I can jump higher than an ordinary frog, stick to solid surfaces, and my tongue stretches out to about 20 meters. Those are only things that'll help us."

"Okay, great, now me. You were right, Tsu. My Quirk is similar to All Might's. I can make myself more mobile or super strong, but if I overexert myself, well, you've seen the results; I could end up with a few up to several broken bones."

"My turn. Check this. These bad boys will stick to anything. At the most, they stick for a full day. New ones grow instantly in their place, but if I remove too many at once, I'll start to bleed from my head."

"Huh, it seems we have some useful abilities. And now I have what we need to win."

"How? Just how are we gonna get out of this one?"

"Mineta, you came to U.A. in pursuit of heroism, right?"

"There's no way I can be as brave as Midoriya. We're now smack in a life-or-death situation and all we have to go on is random Quirks."

"The moment when the enemy thinks they've won represents your best chance. That was from an All Might documentary. Here's the plan. I'll dive in first. Using my Quirk, I think I can make some waves, or at least stir the tides. After that, Tsu, use your tongue and get us in midair before I hit the water. At that moment, Mineta, you just start throwing those balls in. This will work."

"In which direction do you need me to jump?"

"Toward the shore. We're going back to lend a hand."

"This better work, Midoriya!" the shorter one yelled.

"It will!" Izuku jumped off the side of the vessel. 'Too many of them, but maybe I can bunch them up with one shot. Here goes!' "Tidal…" He readied his hands and… "…Smash!" With one flick, he sent a burst of air crashing into the surface of the water. A massive circle formed.

"Now!" Tsuyu stretched out her to tongue to prevent Izuku from hitting the water and leaped the other way. Minoru knew what came next.

"This is where I come in! It sucks that everything you do is just so cool!" he complained as he used his Quirk to throw the balls into the receding tides.

The sea bearing villains struggled to break loose from the spheres, but didn't realize hey were being pulled in to a whirlpool.

"Striking the surface with enough wind force caused the water to spread thin and return to the point of impact. And then…" Deku explained as they saw the explosion.

"I must say, ribbit. That was a great plan. Both of you."

"Fortunate enough we sucked in all of them. That was so insane. Mineta was right…"

The frog girl seemed uneasy by the successor's constant rambling. "Midoriya, you're doing it again… Shouldn't we figure out what's next?"

"Mineta, Tsu, we're going back to the central plaza! We just need to find the right opening first. For now, let's start walking."

In the Mountain Zone, Momo, Kyoka and Denki were recovering from their fall. Realizing where they were, they prepared for any ambush. Reaching an old bridge, they noticed they weren't alone.

"Man, how many villains can take up a small space like this?" the lightning rod questioned.

"Ugh, we'll just fight our way through them." Yaoyoruzu suggested.

"Wait a sec, Kaminari. Isn't your Quirk some type of electricity?" Jiro asked.

"I can discharge it, but I can't control where it goes or how much of it comes out!"

"Whatever, just zap 'em!" She kicked him in the back and sent him into the oncoming villain.

"Hey, what do you know? Guess I'm better than I look."

"My turn!" A net shot out of Momo's shoulder.

"A net? Well, how about this? Time for you to see what my Quirk can do!" Her earlobes plugged into her shoes' speaker system. "With these speakers in my boots, I can determine which way the pulsation goes. I can even intensify the pulsation." Everyone was under the pressure of her pulse.

"It's ready. Jiro, take cover!" A 100 mm insulated sheet covered them. "Kaminari, this sheet's insulated. Let 'em have it!"

"Nice. Now I can do this…! Check this out…" His hands were coated in electricity as his palms struck the ground. "I'm crazy strong!" Every villain in range was out of commission.

"Nice one. Wait, why is he…?"

"Remember when everyone was talking about the downsides of their Quirks? This must be his. His brain's frazzled. By the way, how did you make all those things?" Jiro was suddenly shocked seeing the secondary rep's Quirk in action.

"My Quirk can create any inorganic matter so long as I know the molecular structure of what I'm creating. That's why I'm repairing my costume right now."

'She's certainly… something. Ah, who am I kidding? She's totally endowed!'

"Come on, let's head back to the others."

"Yeah. Good idea." Jiro tried to recover from her shocking view as she grabbed Denki.

In the area where all the buildings seemed to be rundown by means of quakes or tremors, the Collapsed Zone, Katsuki and Eijiro were surrounded on all sides. The two rambunctious teens had their work cut out for them. Random lesser villains came in waves. Kirishima was able to keep a steady defense, while Bakugo went full on offense.

"Think that's all of 'em?"

"If so, let's head back. I don't know how long Mr. Aizawa or 13 can keep going."

"But this time, let's not rush in like a bunch of idiots. When I face that mist guy, he won't know what hit him!"

"Careful, Bakugo. Normal strikes won't affect him."

"Think I don't know that? He's the reason we're scattered, and he must be the one who swarmed the place with villains, too." Suddenly…*boom*

"Sweet reflexes, man. Now that's the level headed you we need."

"Whatever. Let's get out of here. I won't stand by as a bunch of villains think they can beat All Might before I get to be better than him."

Feeling engulfed by the flames of the Conflagration Zone, Mashirao knew he was outnumbered. He just kept running short distances trying to lure out one villain at a time. What he was starting to realize was the heat was getting unbearable.

"Man, just how many villains are in this area? Feels like I've been fighting for a long time. This would've been better if I had someone else here with me." But something just kept him going. He managed to keep the same pace fighting one at a time, but the last villain just came up out of nowhere.

"Wait, there's only one of you? This is almost too easy!"

"Well, big guy, seems like you're the last one. Get ready!"

"I won't be so easy to take down!" His arm stretched out and landed the first hit.

"Man, I wasn't expecting an elasticity Quirk." Ojiro had experience fighting against different close quarters Quirks, but this would be a real challenge for him. This time, both arms stretched. Able to avoid one, the martial artist was tripped up by the other. 'Come on, I can do this. I need to get back to the others.'

It took a while, but after taking a few heavy hits, Mashirao wasn't going down. "That's it. I get it now. All those unorthodox movements." 'Just like always. Right, Midoriya?' Ojiro had remembered his few spars with Izuku, and how he'd usually win due to his fighting talent. But one round, Deku managed to get the drop on the tailed fighter. Those movements came to him; looked like a good time to use them.

"All right, this is it! Everyone's waiting on me and I don't want to disappoint them. You're mine this time."

"Then show me! This is the final round!" the stretched arms' movements became more sporadic. Remembering his friendly rounds, he added his tail to his barrages and blocks. But the elastic villain had a hold of Ojiro's tail. He kicked off the ground and flipped over. Just as he landed, his feet slid and he was ready for the final hit. Surprisingly, as he slid towards him, his tail delivered the last hit.

"Yeah, all right! That's all of them. I need to hurry…" Feeling too good about himself that he was making strides, despite the possibility he could fall over, Mashirao just kept going, all the way to the center of USJ.

Attempting to brave the fierce winds of the Downpour Zone, Koda and Tokoyami tried to make heads or tails of where they were. The slight drizzle and the fact there wasn't too much light help with the blackbird's Quirk.

"Say, Tokoyami, you don't think Mr. Aizawa or All Might will lose against all those villains, right?" Koji couldn't help but fidget lightly.

"If we can navigate through this part of the theme park, we might be able to lend a hand. My Quirk can expand in dark places, so it looks like we can deal with anyone here. "

"I dunno. My Quirk isn't great for a situation like this."

Just then, footsteps were heard in the puddles nearby. "Tokoyami. You hear that?"

"I heard something, all right. Go, Dark Shadow!" A second bird emerged from Fumikage and pulled someone closer. "Where there's one, there's usually others."

Koda noticed something dropping. "Another one?" This time, he jumped out and tried to subdue their next target, but a blinding light immobilized both for a few seconds. "A flash bomb?"

After the explosion, Koji and Fumikage tried to recover. "That was pretty bad. My Quirk is ineffective in bright light."

"I know what you mean. There aren't any animals nearby, so I may not be able to use mine."

"Wait, over there. I see some more villains heading towards us. We might have to muscle our way out of this.

"I may be nervous, but sounds good. My strength should help us out."

"Dark Shadow has a good balance of offense and defense depending on how dark our surroundings are. We should get through this with very little trouble." A rumbling shook the ground. "Here they come!"

Few enemies at a time, the two held their ground. Koda waiting for the right time to make his move putting his own strength to the test; he knew very few others were also physically strong, but it was finally his turn to be strong. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had some moves of their own. But the last wave was almost too much.

"Just you two? Hard to believe." A wolf themed enemy appeared.

"Be careful, Koda. This might be our toughest yet." The bird hero looked around to see if he was the last one. The wolf charged ahead, only to be stopped by Koda.

"How are you…?"

"I've spent a lot of time with wildlife. You really think I'm gonna be scared of this? Now, Tokoyami!"

Dark Shadow swooped down and took off in a straight shot. Knowing what would happen, the animal communicator ducked down as the bird shaped glob of darkness made impact with the villain blocking them.

Trying not to let his fear show, he shows he's okay. "That wasn't as scary as I thought."

Tokoyami agreed. "Glad to see you're still up after that. Let's go, the others need us."

"Yeah, let's hurry!" Koji grinned as they ran ahead.

The remaining three were in the Landslide Zone. Shoto, Yuuga and Tooru had villains on all sides. The temperature themed hero was a bit quick to act. The invisible one had a plan of her own and was able to sneak up and allow Aoyama to use his laser to mow down a few waves of villains.

"All right, villains. Take this, my Navel Laser!" Only a few targets went down after each recharged strike. "At first, I could only keep the laser going for about three seconds, but with the new costume, I can last for eight seconds. Sparkling, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh, Todoroki? How are you holding up? I'm not sure about us." Hagakure seemed to feel the pressure.

"Don't worry. You two get back. I'm about to end this." After a few icicle shots, he emitted a frosty aura from his right half.

"I don't like the sight of this."

"Are these really just a bunch of teens? These Quirks are unreal."

"So, you want to get to All Might? But you can't even make it past us. U.A. is the top hero program for a reason!" Before long, the ground was coated in ice, and the remaining villains frozen in place. "Divide and conquer, was it? Aoyama, Hagakure, let's head back to the others."

"Sounds good." Tooru had reapplied her gloves and boots.

"Mr. Aizawa could use a helping hand."

"We need to make sure the rest of the class made it back first. Then as a united front, we'll stand a chance."

All those teleported and separated were slowly making their way back up. One could only guess how much Aizawa could hold out. Or how fast Tenya could dash back to U.A. The villain onslaught was far from over. Shigaraki had one last move to ensure his awaited showdown with All Might.

"So, Eraserhead. It seems you have more in you than I thought. No matter. Even you can't hold your ground against this…!"

Everyone else looked in complete shock at how Aizawa was dealt with so easily. A terrifying behemoth stood before the remnants of Class 1-A. "Ha ha. Meet our first attempt at a bio-engineered villain. The Anti-Symbol of Peace… Nomu."

Next time

Izuku: It looks like everyone made it back okay.

Tenya: Midoriya! Glad to see you're all right.

Izuku: What are all these heroes doing here?

Tenya: Don't worry, the cavalry has arrived. It took a while to get everyone together.

Izuku: I see All Might too. Bet he'll take that giant villain that trashed Mr. Aizawa. Next time: U.A.'s Fighting Spirit.

Tenya: Something's not right here… It's rather unsettling.

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	15. UA's Fighting Spirit

This is going to be the big 1-A reunion and U.A. faculty vs villains chapter. Like I said, there's a very special chapter after this one, so if you want to see it, please review and tell me, and I'll work on it. More comments mean more people are interested in seeing where this is going. Still thinking about the Sports Festival Arc and how different I'll write it. But one thing at a time.

Tenya had finally arrived when he was approached by Principal Nezu. He told him about the wide array of villains that had infiltrated USJ. Feeling the tension, Nezu sent out a bulletin for all hero course teachers to leave for USJ.

"Principal Nezu, what about All Might?"

"He already knows. He's on his way right now."

Then, I need to go back with the teachers. My class risked a lot for this." With his resolve hardened, Iida made his way back to the theme park. It wasn't long before the scattered classmates began to resurface. Most of Class 1-A had been reunited.

"All right! Looks like everyone's back! Up here!" Sero called out to the others.

"Hey, you're all right! I think we have everyone." Kirishima was overly excited.

"Wait. Where's Deku?" Ochako frantically searched.

"Uraraka, down there!" Momo pointed him out.

Meanwhile, Shigaraki was getting impatient. Without All Might's presence, he could've sent Nomu on a rampage as he also spotted Deku trying to run toward Aizawa.

"Mr. Aizawa? He's in awful shape. Tsu." he looked over.

"What do you need, ribbit?" she asked.

"You and Mineta need to take Mr. Aizawa for me. The creep in the suit… is mine." His eyes slanted eerily like he had a personal vendetta against the crazed head villain.

"You can't be serious! He's the reason all these villains are even here. You can't win!" Minoru tried to reason with him.

"I have to try something… I won't let him kill All Might…!" His body tensed up.

"Fear not… for I am here!"

Everyone there was in complete shock, except Kurogiri and Shigaraki, of course.

"So you finally came, All Might…" The psychotic suit was rather pleased the Symbol of Peace showed up.

"Sorry for the delay, everyone. The principal told me he saw Young Iida, so I figured something had happened and I rushed over." All Might made another mad dash forward mowing down a few more villains.

"Aizawa…" He was unsettled by the condition of a fellow teacher.

"Go now, Nomu! With this, I will have finally brought down the Symbol of Peace!"

"Holy shit! They just don't make villains like they used to!" All Might had to hurry and end things. "All right then. Asui, Mineta, take Aizawa somewhere safe."

Shigaraki couldn't help but notice. "That is your style, isn't it? You're still fast, but not fast as I expected. Could it be… your condition is getting the better of you?"

"Careful, All Might. The giant is supposed to be bio-engineered, so you may need some backup. I don't know how helpful I'd be, but…"

"Young Midoriya. It's been about a year since our unconventional team up. I think this big guy's out of your league.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Iida and the hero course teachers arrived on the scene. "Class 1-A Student Rep, Tenya Iida is on the scene!" All the other classmates were happy he made it in time.

"Iida." Izuku felt a sense of pride knowing his close friend made it back okay.

However, feeling outnumbered, Kurogiri decided to level the playing field by bringing out all the remaining villains that were still able to fight.

"Kurogiri, where were you?" The crazed suit noticed the warp gates.

"Just calling for backup. Everyone, your targets are the heroes of U.A.!"

"13, you've done more than enough! Leave this to us!"

"Thanks for that, Present Mic. I'll watch over Eraser's students." The space themed hero stood ready.

"You villains have zero chance! Let's get 'em!" Ectoplasm sent the teachers into the fray.

The heroes knew what had to be done. They charged in and the whole center of the park was like a war zone! It was a sight to behold for Class 1-A.

"Enough of this! Nomu, crush All Might!"

"Carolina Smash!" He was surprised it had hardly any effect.

"Perhaps I should tell you this now. Nomu's Quirk is Shock Absorption."

"Good to know."

'Man, he's fighting his hardest out there for us. I can still do something; I have to! I'm the only one who knows! I won't let it end like this! I'm All Might's successor!' Just before Izuku made contact, the mist villain tried to interfere. And at that moment, a trail of ice made its way to the warp gate.

"Todoroki?"

"I can't let you have all the action, Midoriya."

"Looks like it's four against one!" Bakugo shouted.

"You almost had him too. But I'm still itching for a fight!" Kirishima looked forward to it.

"You three can have him." Deku told them. "The guy with the extra hands… belongs to me. All Might! You're still the Symbol of Peace! So fight and win!"

"It's still three against five, Midoriya. Think you can keep up?" Shoto asked.

"Just watch." Feeling more driven than ever, Deku was ready to leap, but-

"No, allow me, boys. Here's how a pro does it. This is the reason I'm still the Symbol of Peace!" The number one kept slamming into Nomu.

"Head-on assault?" 'He's coughing up blood again. He's risking too much!'

"This is U.A.'s real power! Go Beyond!" And with one monstrous uppercut…, "Plus… Ultra!" he sent Nomu right through the dome of USJ.

"Whoa, he's still got it!"

"He just smashed right through that thing's absorption Quirk."

"So this is…"

"What it means to be pro heroes."

Heroes and villains alike, everyone was blown away by All Might's prowess. This only encouraged the teachers to follow his example. They were the reason U.A. was the sacred grounds for molding the greatest heroes.

All Might felt the pressure get to him as he was practically running on fumes. 'Man, in my heyday, 5 punches would've been enough. But that was clearly around 300.'

Shigaraki was starting to crack. "This simply can't be! All Might, you're mine! Kurogiri!" With that, his next strike and a stretch of fog were about to reach him. Shoto and Izuku jumped ahead. Izuku's limbs weren't even broken. As he reached All Might, he was ready to take it, but decided to fight fog with fog. His mist pellets were stored away just in case.

"Where are they?" The teleporter looked around. An explosion from Katsuki's Quirk lifted a bit of it.

"Round 2."

The crazy suit villain wasn't going down. He eyed Izuku as he was ready to move again. Deku wasn't about to back down himself. With one jump, he was airborne.

'You're done!' Smash!

As his Quirk became active, the hands latched onto the suit blocked it. "Smash?" He couldn't help but laugh. "That's the same thing All Might says! But how is it possible? Your movements are almost like his… I'll have fun running you into the ground!"

"Everyone, stay back! That's not gonna happen! It's no longer five on two…" He held his newest design with anticipation. A tiny smirk showed he had something planned. Izuku tossed the box upwards. A bright light blinded only for a few seconds. It seemed as if nothing had happened. But Izuku then finished what he wanted to say. "It's one on one."

"You? Some runt kid thinks he can beat me? This is far too funny!" It was then he noticed; the was almost like a wall there. "What is this?"

"It feels like a solid wall, but nothing's there." Toshinori sounded surprised. "Looks like I really won't be able to do anything now. My time's up, Midoriya…"

Another teacher had arrived just as All Might was at his limit. *poof* A wall of cement appeared around him. "Cementoss? Hey, thanks for the assist."

"Don't worry, All Might. Let's just have Snipe handle him; I've got you."

A few bullets were fired off. It was Snipe. "Well now, you're the rotten, no good villain that caused all this! You students get back, leave this here scoundrel to me." Shoto, Eijiro and Katsuki retreated not even trying to reach out to Izuku, who was facing a villain unlike any other all day.

'Deku… Teach this creep a lesson, or I'll teach you one if you lose!" Katsuki was willing to watch this seemingly unfair match.

Todoroki could only ask himself why Izuku would risk everything for All Might. 'Maybe he has real experience with the villain world?'

'Sucks I can't help, but I wanna see this through.' Kirishima looked onward as the three reached the safe zone.

"It's my newest work. A high density barrier. No one gets in, neither of us come out, for five minutes."

His laughter was slightly more maniacal. "You've sealed yourself off for five minutes. This sounds like too much fun."

The class up top noticed as well. Some mixed thoughts entered the minds of the others. But the deepest concerns were those of Ochako and Tenya. Toshinori could only watch so helplessly behind his friend's power as he felt his successor was a bit in over his head. All eyes were on the two of them.

Next time

All Might: Midoriya, are you certain about this?

Izuku: You're the Symbol of Peace, All Might. And you're still a U.A teacher. This is where you're needed.

All Might: Still, this seems highly dangerous for my successor who still has trouble with his newfound power.

Izuku: I thought about it, and I may have a solution. A real fight with a real villain. It's just like last year, but this time things will be different. I have the heart of a hero! Next time: Deku's Archenemy

All Might: This is quite the big step for you. Show no fear in the face of danger.

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	16. Update 2

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be working on the end of the USJ Arc, but I wanted to ask an important question. How can I make things more like Gotham after the Sports Festival Arc? I have a few ideas for character upgrades so they feel like certain DC heroes, but it's the surroundings that I'm having trouble with.

I plan to intensify most of the fight scenes, just a heads up. Shigaraki, the second half of the festival, even Stain. Be sure to leave your thoughts on how to DC this story for your fellow readers. And I'll do what I can about the promising end of the arc blowout.


	17. Deku's Archenemy

This is it! The big end of the arc fight I kept teasing about. After this drops, I will take some time to build up a few people for the festival begins. I have so many ideas of what I want, but don't worry, I'll continue writing. I've already begun thinking about Stain and a few other things from the show.

There he was. Face to face with a terrifying villain. Izuku knew what he was in for; all he could do was think about when he first developed his newest design.

'This barrier successfully made it past the test run. I still remember telling Hatsume about this, and the first time I tried this in the clearing right by the beach.'

 _Say, what's that?_

 _Some I've been working on for a long time now._

 _Must be important._

 _It's like a solid barrier. In case of certain situations, this will keep any villains at bay for a short time._

 _Ever think of seeing if it works?_

 _That's the idea. See, I was planning on trying after school today._

Some time later…

 _Okay, this looks like a good place to start. And there's no one here. Here goes! And… time!_

A few minutes later…

 _Okay, good so far. Just need to make sure this is reinforced. Now I'm thinking I may fight a few villains in here._

Later…

 _Nice and sturdy. No villain will break this. I may have to expand the field. Or maybe add something where I can determine the size of the diameter._

'I need to end this in a matter of minutes.'

All the spectators, whether classmate, hero, or villain, were unable to fathom or even think of what was to come. The teachers were deeply concerned about Izuku and what possessed him to challenge the leading villain. The rest of Class 1-A looked on in fear.

"Midoriya… please be safe." Tenya trembled.

"Hey, Tsu... You think he's gonna be okay? I'm horrified just looking at this!" Mineta shook.

"I'm sure Midoriya has his reasons, ribbit."

"Deku…! Damn him for getting involved just like last time!" No doubt Bakugo was furious for seeing the one person he's hated for so long in the same situation twice not being able to do anything.

"Last time?" Asui looked over.

"This isn't his first villain fight. Last year, the damn nerd thought he was good enough to face danger without even knowing what his Quirk was. There was a hostage situation near the train station. Something about how his dad went missing and that villain he fought was there when it happened."

"I remember that story. That was him and not All Might?" Kirishima added.

"He was there, but it was like Deku knew he'd show up."

"But I thought only real heroes could handle dangerous situations."

"I thought as much. So Midoriya does have experience with villains." Shoto's thoughts were confirmed.

"The other heroes that day couldn't do anything from what I remember." said Jiro.

"He'll still blow himself up with that power of his. This is what he gets for thinking he can stand with the best!" Katsuki sneered.

"Enough, Bakugo! You've had a serious grudge against him all this time; all we can do right now is believe Midoriya can hold his own out there." Tenya knew Bakugo had everything against Deku, but this too much in his mind.

"All I'm saying, Specs, is that he better win. If anyone crushes his chances of making it as a bigshot hero, it better be me."

"Deku is stronger than that. He hasn't gone down once and won't let anything stop him and his ambition." Uraraka seemed slightly annoyed. 'Just be careful.'

The two stuck inside the dome just stood there. Tomura was the one to ask something. "I'm not sure you know what my Quirk does. If all my fingertips are on a single object, I could corrode or rot away anything. So what's stopping me from—"

An exploding disk shaped like a capital D prevented him from trying to disable the defensive wall. "Your focus should be on me! Here's some questions for you. Who the hell are you and why are trying to eliminate All Might?" Izuku seemed angered by the whole thing.

"Tomura Shigaraki. I run the League of Villains. And the reason for this expedition is it's time for a new twist on this society we live in. With All Might out of the way and the other heroes unable to do anything, we can finally rise up!"

"That won't happen! You'll have to get past me!"

"Time is short. I'll end it here and now!"

The two started off slowly. Both trying to wait for the preemptive chance to strike. A few shock rocks from Deku kept the lead villain in check, but not long enough to do any damage. He had to focus on a lot of things; the time limit, One For All, even surviving afterwards. Channeling his Quirk, he started to get I to it. 'Just over 3 minutes. I need to wrap this up.' He prepared his hand, and with a flick of a single finger…

"Smash!" A burst of wind pressure swirled around the barrier. "Good thing I made this defense wide enough for us to fight in." He felt a slight stinging in his finger, even though he only used a small portion of his unstable power.

"Whoa, talk about stirring things up. That was some crazy windstorm!" the radio personality was rather impressed.

"I see him often in the support course, so those utilities he's got will help him." Power Loader knew a side of him he didn't show in the hero course.

"Hey, All Might. You think he can do it?" Snipe asked.

"He has heart, but I don't think he's coming out of this with just a few scratches." His heart sank. He saw something special about Midoriya. Yet here he was, unable to do anything.

Before he could think, the rising star set off a mist bomb. He cautiously looked through his gear and found a few things that could help him out. No one could see inside the dome for that short time. He removed one of his gloves and concealed something in it.

The mist slowly cleared. "Why? Why go out like this? What could you possibly have to gain?" Shigaraki sounded irritated.

"It's not about gaining anything. One hero goes down, another will coming swinging in. Let's keep going." Izuku charged in tossing another disk and with a side step, he got in a few hits of his own. Tomura returned the favor by delivering some heavy hits and ending with a swift kick leaving Deku on the ground.

"Only 2 minutes left, child hero. Out of steam already?"

"No chance." Izuku knew time was narrowing down. 'Why? Why can't I nail this guy? Faster, stronger, I need to win!" Without realizing it, his body tensed as One For All surged. Just then, blinding lights went of in his head. Unable to make heads or tails of the situation, he went blank but was still standing. Everyone could see he was glowing a bright yellow and his veins were a deep red. With just one step, he applied enough force to knock Tomura off balance.

"Yes, this is it. This is the fight I wanted! Show me how you can use that power!"

"Here I come!" Shots were blocked from both ends. Fists flying, movements crucial, leaving no room for error.

"Hey. You seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Is this what Deku's Quirk is supposed to be?"

"Augmented strength and mobility as expected, but wind pressure from a single strike?"

"This must be why he's desperately trying to control such incomparable power."

"It won't matter in the end since I'll crush his chances before he even can control it."

The fight had become more intense. The U.A. faculty and Izuku's classmates began thinking he could actually survive. Kurogiri wanted to wait to have his forces go in a bit further.

"Wait. Let's see how this plays out first. Less than a minute to go." he informed them.

The seconds ticked down as the field started to fizzle and the barrier was gone. The leader of the onslaught was grimacing as he knew time was just about up. "You're time's up, kid. Now it's over! Everyone! Gang up on this one! He seems to be the one All Might is interested in. We'll take him out and the rest will be almost too easy!"

The still standing villains led by Kurogiri charged from all ends. All of U.A. was in panic.

"Even I can't fire this many shots." Snipe informed All Might.

"I'll see what I can do, Snipe, but it might not reach him in time." the cement hero applied his Quirk in attempt to help Deku.

"Ganging up on a kid… How evil can they be?" The secondary class rep was appalled.

Others we too afraid to move or even say a word.

"Midoriya! Get out of there!" A bunch of his classmates shouted, with Iida and Todoroki being the loudest.

"Just run, Deku!" Ochako practically screamed for her close friend to survive somehow.

Before he knew it, he was in midair. He had jumped using One For All in his legs and the springboard he kept in his shoes. The air became more intense. His left arm was glowing a bit more. And at that moment, he made his resolve clear.

" **Fissure Smash!** "

His left fist struck the ground and split in the shape of a giant X, sending pieces of ground at the invasive targets. Cementoss was able to block them from his end. This only infuriated Tomura, sending him into a scratching frenzy.

"How!? How are you able to do that?"

Izuku could barely stand. "Listen, Shigaraki. It doesn't matter how many villains came, I will continue to fight for others. Not just me, but all of us! I will become a hero and turn this corrupt society we live in around. That is why I stand. That is my Plus Ultra!

"Shigaraki, we must leave now." Kurogiri sounded anxious.

"Listen well, heroes of U.A., the League of Villains will only expand in time. The Age of Heroes will surely end! Til we meet again, student of All Might." Black swirls caused the invading forces to withdraw. Deku then turned around to face Cementoss and his predecessor.

"All Might…"

"It's okay, young man. You did great today."

With that, he collapsed.

"It's okay, All Might. Cementoss, take him to Recovery Girl. I'll make this guy gets there." the gunman looked around.

All Class 1-A could do was cheer. However, some were afflicted by the condition Izuku put himself in. They had been in for a roller coaster ride of a day. 13 and Eraserhead were still in bad shape, but they were able to see the others were okay. A few officers wanted to see if the others were okay before returning to the main campus.

"16, 17, 18, 19… Oh wait, the last one isn't here. Let's get them back to U.A."

"Yes, good idea."

"How's Mr. Aizawa?" Tsuyu asked.

"Well, arms were completely fractured and he may have long-term vision problems. 13 only has a few lacerations. As for All Might, I'm sure Recovery Girl can heal him easily.

"Wait! How's Deku?" Ochako sounded distressed.

"Please tell us! Midoriya is going to be okay, isn't he!?" the class rep was rather tense.

"Oh, you mean Izuku. He was taken by the other teachers."

Around that same time, Izuku felt fuzzy. "Oh, my aching head. Where am I?"

"Midoriya…"

"All Might?"

"Try not to move too much."

"Both of you are really pushing it. You're already burning yourself out too much, All Might; don't go too far just to prove a point. Now for you, sonny, your right hand and left arm are going to take time to heal." Recovery Girl added.

"It's strange, really. Last thing I remember was facing that guy and I can't even think what happened after. It felt like I was in a trance. Could this be because of One For All?"

"A trance? You looked like One For All was surging at such a high rate. You even wrecked the theme park." Toshinori couldn't help but laugh. "Hopefully 13 won't be too upset about the damage. But this could mean you're becoming more accustomed to your new power."

"Think so?"

"At this rate, you'll have to. I'm only saying how concerned I am. Good thing you have these braces and bands from the support course." the healer seemed uneasy. "Wonder who that is."

"Is it all right to come in? Toshinori."

"Hey, how ya been?" he answered.

"Wait, who's this?" Izuku nearly freaked.

"It's okay, Young Midoriya. This is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. An old friend on the force and he already knows about One For All. How are Aizawa and the others?"

"The students are all okay, but 13 and Aizawa are in rough shape. I must say, you have potential being chosen by All Might, but you gotta work on not hurting yourself so much."

"Then that's what I'll do." The plain looking boy knew he was on the right track.

Tomura and Kurogiri returned to the tavern from the warp gates. Still injured from fighting, he couldn't comprehend what happened. "We couldn't do it… All Might, he beat Nomu. That boy…! Just how powerful will he become? The symbol is still strong! Were we misinformed?"

"No. We were merely too rash. We underestimated him and those students of his. What of the Nomu's condition?" An ominous voice emitted from the nearby screen.

"Your evilness, our experiment was sent flying unfortunately. Unable to trace its coordinates, no number of warp gates could find it." Kurogiri responded.

"Tomura. You mentioned one of the students. A boy with extraordinary power."

"Yes. I believe he has the same power as All Might. That damned brat did a number of most of us with a single blow!"

"Fascinating. We must find stronger recruits! You are the symbol we need, Tomura. The world will know the meaning of terror!"

Back at U.A., the rest of the class was headed out. Still shook up about the events that occurred, they begin to think of how formidable they were compared to Izuku and All Might. Iida was content enough by arriving when he did. Todoroki, Kirishima and Bakugo couldn't believe what he saw from Deku and All Might. It was hard to believe they could do that.

"That Midoriya really is something else." Shoto started.

"I sure hope he feels better. That was pretty manly." Eijiro said.

"Don't worry. He's broken himself a few times already, so this shouldn't be any different." Uraraka was more familiar with him so she knew what she was saying.

"I don't know, Uraraka. This is probably more destructive than the time he punched a tornado in the abandoned building." Iida was still deeply concerned for Izuku seeing as how he was gaining respect for him.

"He split the ground with a single punch. I don't think even All Might could've done that!" Mina cheered.

"Man, if he ever gains full control of that power, he'd be the most powerful hero ever." Kaminari shuddered.

"You ask me, stupid Deku rushed in like always. That's why he'll never make it. He was weak then and he's still weak now!" Bakugo was clearly aggravated by what he saw.

"You mentioned something about how he fought a villain before, right? And why exactly do you have everything against him?" Momo asked.

"Look, if you want answers, just ask the damn nerd yourselves!" Katsuki went on ahead.

"This makes me want to catch up to Midoriya. Anyone else agree?" the tailed fighter realized.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." the invisible girl felt excited.

"We have tomorrow off, so let's take some time to come up with ways to be great heroes, just like Deku and All Might!" the zero gravity girl shouted.

With everyone agreeing, they went there separate ways. Meanwhile, Izuku made it back to the complex with no problem. Inko saw the news story and was relieved her son was fine despite the damage from his Quirk. He had received explicit instructions from Recovery Girl to rest the next day. Which he did. The only thing he felt the need to do was skim through his notebooks or even try and get in touch with Tenya or Ochako. But the thoughts he just couldn't shake were those of Shigaraki and Nomu. When school started again, Izuku was back in action and feeling better. Ready for new challenges, he approached his two new friends.

That's the end! For now… I am sorry that took so long. Now I'm going to ask something new. I'll do this at the end of each anime season. What was your favorite chapter so far? Be sure to tell me your thoughts. I'm excited to write some more, I have plans for the next big events, but I'm sure you knew that. I'll talk to you hopefully soon so L8r!

Next time

Izuku: It's great to be back, isn't it?

Ochako: Deku! You're okay!

Tenya: Everyone was deeply concerned, though not as much as me. That power is causing you more harm than good.

Ochako: But it's fine. You'll need to control it in time for big event coming up.

Izuku: It's almost time? Really? I can't believe we're competing in this! Next time: One's Resolve.

Tenya: Uraraka, are you feeling okay?

Izuku: Go Beyond!

All: Plus Ultra!


	18. One's Resolve

**Hey guys! Back again with more of The Green Knight. Over 90 follows must mean people want to see it continue. Favorites also help. Enjoy the surprises I have in store. Remember, you can still tell me your favorite chapter from the first 15.**

The first thing Izuku saw was both Ochako and Tenya as he bravely walked up. He messaged them the day before saying he'd tell them what they wanted to know when he was better. He even decided not to stop by the support course to check in with Mei.

"Midoriya. Glad to see you're feeling better." Iida walked up.

"You remember what you told us, right?" the zero gravity user braced herself for what Deku would tell them.

"You mean about my past experience?" Izuku wanted to frown, but couldn't .

"Yeah, Bakugo was really mad about what happened at USJ. Everyone else was simply stunned by it."

"All right. I'll tell you." They walked on ahead. Ignoring his nerves, he proceeded to go into it. Without realizing it, a few of their classmates were getting closer and even listening in. "It began when my dad disappeared years ago. Everyone else around me and in my class back then including Kacchan were slowly getting their Quirks. I didn't know mine till entering middle school."

"It must've been hard for you. Keep going."

"The fact I was left out by everyone and Dad went missing was almost too much."

"What did happen to him?"

"That villain I fought last year was the one Dad fought when it happened. That day was the first day I knew things would turn around. Because it was the day I first met All Might."

"Bakugo mentioned you knew he'd show up?"

"Truth is I met him right before I rushed off hoping for some answers, but I didn't get any."

"All those things you built, what about those?"

"I decided until I know what my Quirk does, I'll just make stuff like this."

Those listening and even the two closest to him were surprised. They knew he'd go on to stardom at this rate. Just then, Shota walked in.

"All right, now despite the fact that U.A. was targeted, we still have something big planned. Preparations are in order for this year's U.A. Sports Festival. This is the once a year event where real heroes scout for talent among our students. You have three chances while you're here to make yourselves known."

"This is it…" Ochako could barely contain her excitement.

Lunch rolled around easily. Class 1-A was still talking about the festival.

"Iida! Deku! Let's all agree to go all out! We can win this!" Ochako lead the charge. The others were greatly inspired and also stated they'd give it their all.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Why did you come to U.A.?"

"You see, my parents run a construction company, and we hardly get anything from it. I wanted to come here so I can hope to let my parents live easier."

"I know the feeling. Like I mentioned, I came here to live up my family's legacy."

"Seems to me you have great reasons for becoming heroes. I feel like I can't compare since I'm in it because of my dad's disappearance and the fact I didn't get my Quirk when everyone else did."

"No. Not at all. Midoriya, you have as good a resolve as any of us."

"Excuse me, Young Midoriya? Can we have lunch over here?"

"Sounds good, I guess?"

The rest of the class gathered in the lunchroom. Uraraka was the first to ask.

"So what do you think All Might wanted to talk to Deku about?"

"Can't be too sure. It must be important, seeing as how they have similar Quirks."

"I still can't get over the way he handled that dangerous situation. I'm still shaking thinking about it."

Without them realizing, Shoto was listening in on them. 'I'm curious about that myself. Why does All Might seem so interested in him?'

"That bad, huh?" Deku sounded down.

"I can only maintain my muscles for about an hour now." Toshinori seemed rather bleak. "The fight against that bio-engineered villain took more steam out of me than I had. Which means my time is getting shorter. Which is why I wanted to talk about the festival coming up."

"Okay."

"First off, how well can you manage One For All?"

"Let's see. I may have a few new surprises for the festival, but I want polish them first before anyone sees them."

"All right, that's good. Which brings me to what I need you to do. The whole country will be observing the event. So if you're the one who wins the whole thing, the next All Might, I need you to take my catchphrase and say it! Fear not…!"

"Because I am here!" Izuku felt a real fire. He knew the stakes were high, but he was ready.

The rest of the day came and went. But Class 1-A was suddenly overrun by the other first-year classes.

"Why is it always us?"

"How do we get out of this one?"

"Scoping out our class since were kind of famous, I assume."

"Yeah, thanks to Midoriya."

"So you're Class 1-A. The students who had a run in with real villains. But we're focused on just a few of you. Bakugo, the top examinee, Todoroki, the top choice through recommendation, and Midoriya, who placed 7th with his uncontrollable Quirk and nearly destroyed USJ fighting a swarm of villains. You're the ones to beat, so get ready because it's your class against all of us!"

Two things. One, you stupid extras don't stand a chance against me!"

"Bakugo, show some respect! The U.A. Sports Festival accepts all the classes!"

"He's right." Another academic course student stepped up. "Even though I'm in Class C, chances are I can move up to the hero level, which means someone from A or B could get downsized to our level."

"And two, I'm the one who's coming out on top! I'll be the best because I deserve to be the best! Listen, frost face, even you Deku! Don't get in my way! There's only one to beat and it's me! No one should even care if you're here by recommendation or being a lowly, pathetic loser who cheated his way in! I will win!"

"What are you doing, don't make them hate us even more!" shouted Denki.

"All you do is shout and claim to be the best. I've yet to see anything that from you a hero is made of. All bark, no bite." The half and half wielder was as savage and honest as usual.

Just as Bakugo was about to mess up Todoroki, Mei tried to get through the waves of those blocking 1-A. "Excuse me, pardon… Hey, Midoriya, this way!"

"Hatsume?" Before he knew it, Mei grabbed him and ran for it.

"What about us?"

"Great, now we're at the mercy of the whole first-year class and this lunatic without Midoriya to help us."

"Glad I found you. How excited are you for the festival?" Mei finally slowed down.

"Well, I was nervous at first, then felt excited, now just questioning whether or not I'll be all right." The plain looking one tried to make heads or tails of what he wanted to do.

"Listen. You 'smashed' a giant robot, stood up for yourself against that exploding jerk, even saved your whole class just recently. If confidence is a problem, then—"

"I am feeling confident. It's my Quirk, as usual. I have a way to make better use of it." He looked over at his hand.

"But you want to make a few more things in case things go south, right? The reason I ask is I'm competing, too." Hatsume sparked.

"You are? Iida did say all the courses are competing."

"Heroics, academics, business and support. I need my worker babies in top form. We have two weeks, Midoriya. How about it?"

"Sounds great!"

They made their way to the department and knew they had their work cut out for them.

 **Okay, that went faster than expected. Next chapter will be a filler like I mentioned earlier. It's basically a few select characters getting ready. I will try to update when I can. Hopefully everyone will like what I have in store.**

Next time

Aizawa: Nice to see you're all taking this seriously. What about you, Midoriya?

Izuku: Mr. Aizawa?

Aizawa: It's bad enough you injured yourself again, but All Might told me you're making small strides?

Izuku: It's a work in progress. I think by working with some of the others, it'll help everyone. Next time: Surprises in Store

Aizawa: No holding back during the festival. Got it?

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	19. Surprises in Store

**Hard to believe, isn't? Over 100 followers and over 80 favorites! You guys are great! Thank you very much! If only I had half as many comments. This time around, Izuku will be observing a select few from the class, and he'll be watched by someone himself. It might be a bit short seeing as how this is the build up to the big day, but I'll try to make it a decent length. That said, let's resume.**

The festival was less than two weeks away. After talking to All Might and even Mei, he felt ready to get back to maintaining One For All. But at the same time, he kept a close eye on his classmates. He had a select few he wanted to observe or work with each day.

Izuku started off with Iida wanting to see him work on his speed Quirk.

"Midoriya? What brings you here?"

"I know I probably couldn't keep up, but I noticed you were out here."

"Well, seeing as how you're all the way out here, I wouldn't mind getting your time on the track." Iida sounded surprised.

"That's kinda the reason I'm here, also I wanted to talk about what happened at USJ… But first, I came to see you on the track." Izuku looked around as he spoke.

Tenya was up first. Izuku signaled the start. "Ready… Go!" He took off running. Iida felt like he wasn't fast enough when the League of Villains invaded. He felt he had to be faster in case anything like that happened. As class rep, all of Class 1-A was on his shoulders. His engine Quirk suddenly stopped as he reached the end.

 _'I only got to third gear for a mere second that time, so maybe my speed is improving?'_

"Not bad, Iida. You seem out of it."

"Wh—Oh, it's all right, Midoriya. I'm actually interested in seeing how far you'll go in the festival."

"Well, I can't beat your speed the way I am now; I'm still figuring my Quirk out. But I'll get the hang of it. You sure you're okay?"

"It's no big deal. I'll say when to start." With that, Midoriya got in place at the starting line, lightly sending a sliver of his power to his legs, trying to not overload and possibly break down.

"Ready… Go!"

 _'Okay, just focus… Don't let the egg explode.'_

He reached the end of the track. As Tenya walked up, he seemed amazed.

"Just over 5 seconds with your power, I take it."

"Without it the first time, it was more like 7 seconds."

"That reminds me. You wanted to talk about what happened that day." the class rep sounded concerned.

"Iida, did you feel any pressure getting the word to All Might and the other teachers? I know I wasn't there to see what happened on your end, but—"

"Don't look so down, Midoriya, you gave me the spot of class rep for a reason. It just took a bit of a pep talk from some of the others to see what I needed to do." he assured Deku.

"That's good. Which leads me to what I did…"

"You mean how you fought the head villain alone?"

"Look, I know it was reckless, but All Might was in danger! I had to do something!" Izuku felt frantic trying to reason with the class rep.

"It's okay, Midoriya. I was just surprised. You held your own really well, despite the fact you greatly damaged the park with that last move."

"All Might was sure 13 wouldn't be too upset about the damage. And I'm surprised I could even do that at all. It was like this power was doing something on its own." He felt down but got back up after what Iida said next.

"You really are something else. The more I think I understand you, the more you continue to surprise everyone." Tenya didn't beat around the bush knowing full well that others in their class felt the same.

"It's just like when we met the first time, right?"

It was no surprise that Izuku and Tenya were the closest of anyone in the class. A few sprints from both of them, they felt like they take on the upcoming events ahead.

The next day, Izuku decided to check in on Yuga. Deku spotted the sparkly blonde by the nearest training ground after talking to a support class. This, he thought, would be a good time to try out his new projectiles and just happened to have his new satchel with him.

"Aoyama. From those lasers, I could tell you were here." He walked up to the blonde.

"Why, bonjour, Midoriya. I was hoping to face someone out here." Yuga said with a spark.

"In that case, I'll face you."

Then, out of nowhere…

"Hey there, Midoriya!"

"Hatsume?"

"This must be your friend from the support course. I can tell from her disposition."

"If you're looking for a new way to get ready, I got just the thing! All these targets were set up by the support course. The idea is to not only aim for them, but also shoot for style points, at least in my rendition."

"Style points, huh. So we have to add a little shine to our movements."

"I will say this; your final destructive blow from the villain attack didn't seem properly executed to me."

"It wasn't. I didn't even know what I was doing when it happened, which is why I need to get better. So basically, we need to really impress and razzle the crowds during this thing."

"Now you're getting it. Almost all the courses are competing: heroics, academics, support. The business course will be simply observing us and our moves, so why not put your best foot forward and shine?"

"Great idea, this'll be just the opportunity I need. Soon the name Mei Hatsume will be revered in the world of hero tech."

"Speaking of, Hatsume. How did you find me out here?"

"Actually, some of your classmates said you were headed this way. Seems you both use support items."

"How observant. This helps me use my Quirk more efficiently." Aoyama was intrigued. "You must be the girl from the support course Midoriya goes to see."

"Pretty much. Since we're here, how about some target practice? I wanna try to put some finishing touches on these new worker babies. And I even designed the targets. In fact, I get in on the fun!" She was simply too excited.

"Heh. Sounds good to me." Deku was now more excited but nervous, too. So whoever lights up the most targets wins?"

"There's also a time limit, you two, so stay on the move. Okay then, start!"

"Now here's a proper demonstration of style in heroics." A target appeared and Aoyama simply turned and fired. "These targets won't break easily, so you may have to hit some multiple times."

The successor got out a few disks from the satchel to get ready. He spotted a potential target.

"Right there!" After the target lit up, he got into the swing of it. He spun off the ground, spotted a few of them and took aim. He felt a slight sensation when he leaped. 'Could this be One For All?'

"Here's how you do it in style." Yuga twisted to the side and took a shot at another target. The bright lights seemed to make his targets sparkle a bit.

"Don't mind me. I'm just blazing through, boys." The tech savvy girl made her move. Sending small projectiles from her new gloves, she managed to get three targets.

"You guys are doing all right. Try and hit these." Mei set up the second wave. "This time, I think I'll use something I've been saving for the big day. These boots will give me a more mobility in midair.

"Okay then, these are a new version of the discs I used at USJ. But instead of exploding, they retract back to me so I can use them again right away." Midoriya seemed impressed by Mei's reveal.

"Then let's begin." Aoyama was ready.

"Just a heads up, let's see how you handle moving targets." The targets moved slightly all over as the ring sounded. The three made some good strides.

In the end, Yuga got just a few more points. The tech savvy girl was ecstatic about her debut. Deku realized it takes more than intense moves to make a hero, he needed to find his way to really stand from the other hopefuls. When he would reach the end of the festival, head held high, he could finally say the words All Might wanted the world to know.

Since he spent a few days working on speed and reflexes, Izuku wanted to check his abilities for himself so he wanted to find someone to spar against. After seeing Midoriya look down after a run in with Bakugo, Ojiro steps in.

"Hey Midoriya. Follow me.", was all he said.

"Ojiro?" Deku kept up with him. Before he knew it, they were at the school's gym. "Okay, so you want another round, I get it." he perked up.

"That, and I wanna talk to you about your Quirk." the martial artist slowly turned.

"Okay then…" Izuku hesitated.

"You seemed nervous when you first started using it. Now you're thinking it can backfire when you need it most. If I can sweep you in these few rounds, you have to use your Quirk in the festival."

"I was already planning on it."

"Oh, and don't let Bakugo keep you down. I noticed he was walking past you; that's one reason why I stepped in."

"I think he's still thinking about how things used to be. Now I'm thinking about how you wanted to try and keep up with me."

"Yeah, when you trashed that old building and sent Bakugo into a wall, I wanted to see how or even if I can compare." Mashirao felt somehow in over his head knowing when Izuku can manage his power, he'll be nearly unstoppable.

Both took their stances. Their first round began. Ojiro took the first jab, testing the waters. Deku seemed hesitant but managed. Taking the opportunity to strike, the blonde used the tip of his tail to block, and seconds later floored Izuku.

"Man, what was that? You seem really out of it, Midoriya."

"Hey Ojiro, how would you feel if you had an insane amount of power like mine?"

"Whoa, what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"The zero point obstacle, the building, the plaza. Until now, I haven't used my Quirk against another person. This may sound weird but when I fought that crazed villain, it didn't look like I damaged him all that much."

The martial artist started to see where it was going. "I get it. Then you just need to condense that power so you can fight us on an equal level, is that it?"

"Surprised you figured it out."

"That's why I asked you here, to help with your combat prowess." A surprise attack headed his way. His hand blocked it and both boys noticed a few sparks. Izuku almost fell back when he realized what it was. "Was that…?"

"I think my Quirk is trying to adapt. It's as if it knows how much I can take. I can keep going!"

"There you go!" Ojiro was seeing the side of Midoriya he wanted for a while. "The idea is not just wear down who you're fighting. You want to take an opportunity to go in or use their strength, Quirk, or movements against them. Now, try it again."

He felt a spark as he moved to the side and forward. Ojiro was about to go for another hit. Izuku's instincts kicked in and he was blocking each one.

 _'I should update my notes on his fighting moves.'_ Izuku was feeling better after his ordeal.

After spending a few days observing the others, Izuku decided to spend some focusing on himself and One For All. After school, where it looked like there was no one around, he headed back toward the track area. He checked the contents of his bag and found the arm braces and new tech he was working on.

Just then, he felt like he wasn't alone. For once, he was the one being observed. It had been like that most of the day; like one of the class was keeping tabs on him. Unbeknownst to Deku, it was Shoto Todoroki. The dual Quirk user just seemed interested in him after USJ and hearing his life story.

"If I'm going to beat you in the festival, I want you at your best." He knew Deku had trouble with his Quirk and was getting better day after day, or at least showing some progress.

He thought back to the lesson from earlier. Using a mix of his power and his support items, he got a decent track score. But, Shoto did get the top score for the class. He decided to talk to him.

"Midoriya?"

"Who is i—" He turned around to find it was Todoroki. "Ah. Todoroki."

"I came to see if you're prepared for the Sports Festival."

"Just about. How are you holding up?"

"Just trying to think about the times ahead and I noticed you were out here."

"You're not trying to throw me off my game, are you?"

"Of course not." Todoroki chuckled a bit. "I wanted to talk about your backstory. Not to mention I've had my eye on you recently."

"You mean how I told Iida and Uraraka about how I didn't know my Quirk until middle school?" Izuku couldn't help but nervous.

"I overheard your story and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Something dawned on me. Are you sure you're not All Might's secret love child?"

Izuku suddenly felt hot as the blood rushed to him as his arms were flailing and he fell backwards. "What? Why would you ask something like that?" he tried regaining his composure.

"Relax. I thought it sounded farfetched myself. You say 'Smash' just like he does so maybe it was possible."

"That's good. If I were, I think my hair would look more like his. And everyone says our powers are similar."

"That's true too. You really must be his biggest fan. Just keep working on controlling that intense power and I can't wait to face you."

The past few days were very eventful for Izuku. But a little time to himself was what he felt like he needed. After getting back from school, he decided to look out at the sea; so he went to the place where it all began. The messy haired hero to be finally made it to the beach and realized there was no one else around.

"Huh, that's weird. Thought this place would have more people after cleaning it for so many months. All Might said people flocked here since the exams. Looks like tonight I get the beach to myself." Deku reveled at sight of the glistening sand and moving waves. "I did this. I did all this. This clean beach is a result of one man wanting to be the greatest."

He took the stairs down to the beach itself and decided to get started. _'Okay, focus. Apply a thin layer to my hands…'_ "Smash!" One open hand swing caused a breeze to carry some of the sand. "I can do it, just can't put too much into it." A big swing with his other arm stirred the wind even more.

Since he didn't have his loaded springboards in his shoes, he decided to take this time to try and leap in case he didn't have them.

"Okay, earlier I was focusing One For All in the soles of my feet. But with that trance still bothering me, I wanna try and spread it out a bit more." He felt his Quirk spread from his soles up to the top of his ankles. Without another thought, one jump later, he was midair and felt no backlash. After landing, he wondered if he could keep it going. Using about the same percentage, he charged up and happily jumped about. **(Think of it like Fred from Disney's Big Hero 6 how his hero suit is spring loaded.)**

That night, Deku felt better about his situation. Knowing his mom knew he finally had a Quirk sort of made things easier. He was reminding Inko about the upcoming festival and she was absolutely excited.

"Say, Mom. How do you really feel now that I have this Quirk?"

Inko was uncertain. "Well, I was excited at first, but after you started coming home hurt, I feared the worst. Why?"

"It's just… I feel like I can use it, even if just a small amount at a time, and not get hurt. I was spending the past few days with the others getting ready for the Sports Festival."

"You feel like you're ready?" she perked up.

"Almost half of my class want to see me in action so they've been making sure I'm at my best next week."

Time was winding down. All the preparations had been made. The day everyone, whether civilian, hero, or competitor, has been waiting for. The annual U.A. Sports Festival was about to begin.

 **I realize a lot of you were waiting for this. The reason I didn't add Uraraka in this chapter was I'll be giving her a bit more screen time later on. I'm hoping to start ASAP on the next one, but before the chapter, I have a few questions that need some answers. Instead of the cavalry battle in the anime/manga, what are some other ideas that I can use? I'd like to hear from the readers of other possible events I could use. I'll still do the obstacle course, maybe in the second round, I don't know, and the Sweet 16. Don't forget, you can still let me know your favorite chapter from Darkest Before the Dawn up to Deku's Archenemy and why. That was the third question.**

Next time

Tenya: The moment has come at last, Midoriya.

Izuku: Everything has lead up to this.

Tenya: So there are three events chosen at random, and only so many go on ahead.

Izuku: Let's agree, Iida. To make it to the final stage! Next time, The Festival Begins.

Tenya: Agreed, I'll give my all, and I know you'll do the same.

Izuku: Go Beyond!

Both: Plus Ultra!


	20. Update 3

This is just an update. I really want to be able to hear the voices of the readers for the next few chapters. The obstacle course is happening, but I wanna do something other than the cavalry. That's where you come in. I'm already writing the next chapter, so think of as many event ideas as possible, group or individual, doesn't matter. I might make the obstacle course round 2 instead of round 1. I intend to make this arc as intense as possible. So follow, favorite and review for more!


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